SYRACUSE - Syracuse wide receiver Taj Smith has decided to pass up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft, said coach Greg Robinson.

Smith informed Robinson of his decision Thursday morning.

“He just feels like he's been in college five years. He's played. He's going to graduate. He thinks at 24 years old, it's time to move to the next phase of his life,” Robinson said in a statement released Thursday evening.

Smith played in just 16 games for the Orange.

Smith, of Newark, N.J., came to Syracuse in 2006 from Bakersfield (Junior) College in California. Four games into his first season with the Orange, Smith had scored four touchdowns but broke his collarbone running a reverse and missed the rest of the season. The school petitioned the Big East Conference to grant Smith an extra year of eligibility, which was granted.