Updated: Silas Redd Transferring to USC

Bill O'Brien may have just lost the biggest recruiting battle of his short tenure in State College... for a player that was already on the Penn State roster.

Rising junior starting running back Silas Redd announced Tuesday that he would be transferring to Southern Cal. He had been on a "recruiting" visit to USC over the weekend, meeting with Lane Kiffin and touring the campus. Following an in-person meeting with O'Brien Tuesday morning, Redd publicly revealed his decision to leave the Nittany Lions.

Reports varied on whether or not Redd would stay at Penn State, but signs pointed toward his transfer as early as Monday morning.

We will update this post as more detail emerge.

Update. His full statement:

"This has obviously been a very busy, emotionally draining week for me and my family. As many of you know, playing football at Penn State has been a dream of mine since I was seven years old, and I will be forever grateful that this dream became a reality. This is the reason that the decision I have made is so difficult for me: I will transfer to USC to complete my education and my college football career, beginning in the 2012-2013 year. Penn State gave me a phenomenal opportunity to become part of a legendary football program. My teammates, my coaches – past and present – and the staff have provided me with a tremendous amount of guidance and support since I arrived on campus, and I can’t thank them enough for their time, their advice, and their friendship. They have given me such a strong foundation from which I can continue to grow.

The Penn State community – including the Nittany Lions’ unbelievable fan base – has also been a huge part of my incredible experience over the past two years. I have grown tremendously as a person and a player at Penn State, and the support of the community and our fans has been a big part of the reason why. I also want to extend my thanks to the media, who have embraced me and my family over my entire football career, even before I began at the college level. I think it is important to say that this situation is not something that I wished for myself, but it has happened, nonetheless. My family and I have spent many hours in recent days trying to decide what will be best for me as I look to the future – both personally and professionally.

We have weighed the pros and cons of staying at Penn State and leaving Penn State, attending USC and not attending USC, and I can honestly say that, ultimately, this decision is about so much more than football. I continue to have aspirations for my life, and as my family and I considered the bigger picture – both on and off the field – it became clearer to me that USC will be the best fit for my academic, athletic, and personal needs over the next two years. I look forward to future successes, and to the continued support of everyone around me.

Silas Redd Jr."

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