Penn State RB Silas Redd Considering Transfer, Meets With USC’s Lane Kiffin
After the NCAA laid down some extremely harsh but fair and understandable sanctions on the Penn State football program, players are allowed basically in NFL Free Agency style to transfer to any college around the country without penalty for the player or the university receiving the players.
Originally scheduled to represent Penn State at Big Ten media days, Nittany Lions star running back and top NFL Draft prospect Silas Redd was a no-show due to the fact that he was meeting with USC head coach Lane Kiffin, according to reports.
This is horrid news for Penn State fans, but they are pretty well used to that in recent months. Redd is Penn State’s best player and he is arguably the top returning back in the entire Big Ten conference. If he leaves PSU for USC, the Trojans’ loaded team becomes even scarier, and adds a whole other dimension to their roster. Right now, USC has a decent rushing attack as it is, but having Redd would give them the best offense in college football with hardly any other team in their rear-view mirror.
Adding Redd would give USC a fearsome group that includes Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Barkley at quarterback, All-American receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Hill, as well as many other very talented skill position players–including Silas Redd.
According to the sanctions against Penn State, any player can transfer from the team and not have to sit out a year, but also, they would remain on scholarship and it would not count on the other team’s (in this case, USC) scholarship total. In other words, USC could get an All-American, NFL caliber tailback for free.
There are reports on ESPN that USC is pitching to Redd the fact that they have had various Freshman All-Americans that their system is easy enough to grasp. Lane Kiffin is one of the best recruiters in the country, and USC is fresh off of some NCAA sanctions of their own. Penn State is ineligible for postseason play for the next four years, so why would Redd want any part of that? Sure, he signed up to play for Penn State and he dedicated the last few years of his life to that program, warts and all.
Like many players, you can’t hold it against any Penn State player for wanting to transfer and put some meaning behind what they are playing for. Of course, playing for Penn State is a dream for many of those young men, but at the same time, they all have personal goals in mind, and the best way for Redd and many others to achieve those goals is probably to get out of there and transfer to a place like USC where they can contend for a title right away.