College Football

Ohio State Coach John Cooper said standout running back Robert Smith will rejoin the team, but Cooper said the decision wasn’t related to the departure of the assistant coach who Smith says told him to skip class.

Cooper said Smith decided to return to the team before offensive coordinator Elliott Uzelac resigned last month.

Smith, who broke Archie Griffin’s freshman rushing record at Ohio State in 1990, quit the team in August. Smith said Uzelac told him to miss a class to attend practice, but Uzelac denied saying that.