DES MOINES, Iowa -- Running back Adam Robinson's promising career at Iowa is over.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz announced Monday that Robinson had been dismissed from the Hawkeyes one week after he was arrested for marijuana possession. The coach said he would have no further comment.
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Robinson, 21, was charged with possession of marijuana on Dec. 27 in his hometown of Des Moines. The Iowa State Patrol said Robinson was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for not having a front license plate. A trooper detected a marijuana odor from the Iowa vehicle, then found marijuana after a search.
Robinson was suspended for Iowa's win over Missouri in the Insight Bowl for failing to comply with team policies. His arrest came the night before the bowl game, leaving the Hawkeyes (8-5) with an unwanted distraction they overcame in beating the Tigers 27-24.
Robinson rushed for a team-high 941 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Hawkeyes' featured back.
Freshman Marcus Coker starred in Robinson's absence against Missouri, rushing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Coker, who finished the season with 622 yards rushing on an impressive 5.5 yards per carry, will likely be Iowa's top back heading into spring practice.
Robinson was an unheralded recruit coming out of Lincoln High in Des Moines. But he got an unexpected chance to prove himself when Jewel Hampton blew his knee out before the season.
Robinson led Iowa with a freshman-record 834 yards and five TDs while sharing time with fellow freshman Brandon Wegher. Robinson was elevated to a starting role this fall when Wegher left the program for personal reasons, and he got the majority of Iowa's carries after Hampton injured his knee in September and was lost for the season.
Robinson's dismissal, along with Hampton's recent decision to transfer, leaves the Hawkeyes without any of their top three backs from the start of practice last fall.
Besides Coker, freshman De'Andre Johnson, who redshirted, will also be in the mix at running back.
