Nebraska Announces Tarin Smith Will Transfer

On Tuesday evening, Nebraska announced that freshman guard Tarin Smith would be transferring from the program heading into next year.  The move was a surprising one.

Smith entered the program as a 3-star prospect and was rated as the #13 prospect from the state of New Jersey.  However, during his first season, results on the court was mixed.  He did end up playing in 31 games this season, but played just 43.3% of the team's minutes and had just a 95.0 offensive rating.  These were certainly significant numbers for a true freshman, but largely consistent with a bench contributor.

At the end of the season, Smith saw decent hunks off the bench at the shooting guard and small forward positions behind Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields, who could both return this season.  Sophomore Tai Webster also played behind Smith and the arrival of Jack McVeigh and the ability of Kansas transfer Andrew White to play could also have played into Smith's decision to transfer.

Still, despite the news, Smith appeared to have thought out the decision.

"My family and I have intensely thought about this decision, and we feel that it is best if I transfer at the end of this school year," Smith said. "I would like to thank the University of Nebraska and the fans for this opportunity and their support and encouragement throughout the year."

Miles also spoke about Smith's decision to transfer.

"I am disappointed in Tarin's choice to transfer, but I support him and understand his decision," Miles said. "Our entire program will miss him, and we wish him nothing but a successful future."