CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Quarterback Robert Marve is leaving Miami, ending weeks of speculation about his future and adding to the tumultuous start of the Hurricanes' offseason.

Marve started 11 of 13 games for the Hurricanes, but also served a pair of suspensions in unrelated incidents, including one that kept him out of the Emerald Bowl. He told The Associated Press today that he asked coach Randy Shannon for his release from the program, and hours later, the school announced that Marve was leaving.

"I had to get out," Marve told the AP from his family's home in Tampa. "I just decided that I can't play for coach Shannon."

Marve's decision came hours after Miami fired offensive coordinator Patrick Nix. Marve and Nix were close, but Marve's decision was not necessarily related to the coordinator's dismissal.

Marve was one of the prized signings in Miami's 2007 recruiting class, yet missed his freshman season because of injuries sustained in a car crash that summer. He won the starting job for 2008, but Shannon planned to play freshman Jacory Harris into every game.

"I just felt like it wasn't fair to either one of us, honestly," Marve said.

Marve completed 116 of 213 passes for 1,293 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Harris finished the year 118-for-194 with 1,195 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and even if Marve returned, Harris was going to enter spring ball as the Hurricanes' No. 1 quarterback.

Marve said he and Harris are good friends, but Marve added that he simply didn't feel a connection to Shannon, and decided a change was necessary even though it'll mean he'll sit out again in 2009 under NCAA transfer rules.

Where will Marve go?

It's unclear if the release from his Miami scholarship came with conditions, such as not allowing Marve to transfer to another Florida school or a team on the Hurricanes' schedule in the upcoming few seasons.

Florida, Tennessee and LSU have been speculated as possible destinations for Marve, who gave no indication of where he might be headed.

"I've got to sort a lot of stuff out," Marve said.

Earlier Tuesday, Shannon told WQAM radio he would have preferred Marve stay.

"Robert has to accept that, 'Hey, I have to be a person that is willing to do what we are doing at the University of Miami,'" Shannon said.

But Marve's short time as the Hurricanes' starter was marred by two incidents, both deemed serious enough to merit keeping him off the field.

He drew a one-game suspension to start this season because he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge related to an act of vandalism on Oct. 31, 2007, which is consistent with the policies Shannon put into place when he took over as coach two years ago.

Marve's second suspension was for missing class for the fourth time in the semester, though he said he was only late to the class because he was speaking with another professor.

He was suspended for the Emerald Bowl, which Miami lost to Cal 24-17. The Hurricanes finished the season 7-6.

"It was very hard, very frustrating for me to watch that," Marve said. "I thought I could have helped."