Arizona football: Running backs transfer in from Illinois, UNLV

After waiting for the Arizona Wildcats to clarify their scholarship availability, it appears that UNLV Runnin' Rebels running back finally has his spot on the roster. The transfer committed to Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats on Tuesday, reports the Arizona Daily Star, and he joins fellow Division I transfer Dami Ayoola, who reportedly committed to join Arizona on Monday.

Smith spent his first two seasons as a backup running back with the Northwestern Wildcats before sitting out a season and then transferring to UNLV last year. With Northwestern, he averaged better than four yards per carry and went for 196 and 266 yards in consecutive seasons. He rushed 28 times for only 70 yards last season with UNLV.

With a year left of eligibility, Smith will be able to play next year and joins a 2014 depth chart that loosely includes redshirt freshmen Zach Green and Pierre Cormier, as well as senior Terris Jones-Grigsby.

Ayoola, on the other hand, will play at Arizona Western this upcoming season before joining the Wildcats in 2015. He played as a true freshman with the Illini before being dismissed from the team.

The influx of transfers continues for RichRod, who has pulled in talents from more established college football programs such as LSU, USC and Texas in his short time with the Wildcats.