Hampton first whetted the appetite of Iowa fans when he rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns as a backup to Shonn Greene in 2008. However, he suffered a knee injury during the following summer, underwent surgery and missed the 2009 season.

Robinson stepped in and set an Iowa freshman record with 834 yards rushing.

The two were expected to compete with fellow sophomore Brandon Wegher for the starting job this fall although Hampton was suspended for the opening game of the season because of an alcohol-related incident during the summer.

Wegher left the team after only a few workouts and Hampton injured his other knee Sept. 18 against Arizona, requiring more surgery. Robinson ended up rushing for 941 yards in 10 games and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Hampton, a 210-pounder from Indianapolis, was expected to be back to full strength by next fall but began dropping hints the past few days on his Facebook page that his Iowa career was over. Last Wednesday, he wrote "NOBODY IS SAFE!!!!!!!" On Friday, he wrote "FAREWELL." At about 9 p.m. Sunday, he wrote "Former Hawkeye!!! wats next????"

Robinson, who is from Des Moines, was the first person to comment on the post, responding "hmm ... first and for most ... LIVE IT UP!"

Ferentz offered no details pertaining to Hampton's decision Monday, saying only that "Jewel Hampton has decided to leave the team and plans to transfer to another school to complete his degree and finish his career. We wish him the best of success in the future."

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