(That means he's decided to transfer to USC). The only question now, aside from the fact that the Trojan hype machine is about to truly go out of control, is whether this will break the dam for other transfers who didn't want to be the first. I'm honestly not sure. So far, enough high-profile players have re-committed themselves to PSU that I'm beginning to have doubts about what kind of exodus we might see. The fact that the NCAA pushed back the deadline to decide could go either way. I can see it (a) helping PSU by convincing kids to hang around and re-ingratiate themselves into the PSU football program, or (b) hurting by making the incoming sanctions more real. I'm leaning toward (a) at this point because Bill O'Brien and company seem to be doing a great sales job to keep their kids in-house.
Though he was not the first player to leave-- that honor belongs to backup safety Tim Buckley-- Redd is the first impact player to bail on Penn State since the sanctions were announced last week and his absence will have an immediate impact on the Nittany Lions' chances this season. He was by far their best returning offensive player, and his absence will be felt by a team hungry for offense. The other side of the ball probably interests Baylor fans more than the offense, since we have that in spades, where we could use immediate help, particularly on the defensive line. The player Baylor might want the most, senior DT Jordan Hill, has been mostly silent about his intentions as far as I know, but he did represent the school at the Big Ten media days last week and was asked about Silas Redd's situation. Another possible transferee that had been previously linked to Baylor, LB Khairi Fortt, might be on the verge of becoming a different kind of bear altogether and committing to Cal.