Report: Penn State Running Back Silas Redd Meets with USC's Lane Kiffin

Redd may decided whether or not to transfer as early as Monday

Penn State running back Silas Redd, who is considering transferring to USC, met with coach Lane Kiffin for three hours Thursday, ESPN is reporting.

According to the report, Redd may make his final decision as early as Monday.

During their meeting, Redd was reportedly shown a Power Point presentation and video clips, indicating how he would fit in with the team.

Signing with USC would give Redd the opportunity to play for a national championship, a chance Penn State can no longer offer him after the NCAA handed down heavy sanctions Monday stemming from the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. The university is facing a four-year bowl game ban, reduced football scholarships, the forfeiture of 112 wins and a $60 million fine.

Nittany Lions players have been given the opportunity to transfer and be eligible to play for another school immediately, creating a recruiting frenzy on the State College campus.

"With the rule the way it is, it’s like NFL free agency," Penn State coach Bill O’Brien told ESPN. "That’s what it is."

When USC was hit with sanctions in 2010, juniors and seniors were allowed to transfer without sitting out a year.

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Recently, Redd has been noticeably absent from team activities. He was originally scheduled to attend Big Ten Media Days Thursday, but was in Connecticut instead to meet with Kiffin.

On Wednesday, Redd was not in attendance when his teammates gathered to show their support for their beleaguered football team and O’Brien.

The 5-foot-10, 209 pound running back ran for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts and has two years of eligibility remaining.

At Pac-12 Media Day Tuesday, Kiffin expressed that Trojans’ main issue is depth in the backfield, a concern Redd could alleviate.

"Our number one concern is our running back position," Kiffin said. "We’re concerned about our depth there, and we know what we have a quarterback and receiver and we know people are going to try to take those guys away. So, they will bring seven-man boxes and opportunities for our running backs to make plays, and we will have to do a great job at developing depth at running back."

Currently, the Trojans have only three scholarship running backs on the roster: Curtis McNeal, D.J. Morgan and Buck Allen. McNeal and Morgan are the only two with collegiate experience.

Should Redd choose to transfer to USC, the Trojans would have to open up a scholarship to accommodate for him. The university already has 75 players on scholarship, the maximum amount they are allowed to have due to NCAA sanctions.

Meanwhile, O’Brien is scrambling to keep his team intact as other schools recruit his players.

So far more than 30 Penn State football players have committed to finishing their collegiate careers as Nittany Lions.

"We want to let the nation know that we’re proud of who we are,” running back Michael Zordich said Wednesday. "We’re the true Penn Staters, and we’re going to stick together through this."

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