Marquette Smith, hailed as the best offensive football player in the country when he signed with Florida State in 1991, is leaving FSU for personal reasons and transferring to the University of Central Florida.

"He and his father came by to see me today and requested a release (from his scholarship)," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said Monday. "He explained to me why and his reason was very legitimate. It had nothing to do with hard feelings. I felt like I owed it to him."

Smith, a redshirt sophomore from Casselberry, missed the final four games of the regular season and FSU's 18-16 national championship victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl due to knee surgery. He gained 297 yards on 62 carries and scored two touchdowns.