LOS ANGELES -- Southern California football coach Lane Kiffin on Tuesday refused to address his interest in Penn State running back Silas Redd, who reportedly is considering transferring in the wake of heavy NCAA sanctions against the Nittany Lions program.
"We can't speak on any kids on their roster," Kiffin said at the Pac-12 Conference Media Day. "They're like high school kids right now, so we can't say anything about it."
The Los Angeles Times reported that USC has contacted Penn State about its intention to try to recruit Redd, who rushed for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Redd has two years of eligibility remaining.
The Trojans' interest is understandable. Kiffin has only two running backs returning, creating depth problems at the position. Senior Curtis McNeal is ranked No. 1 on the depth chart, but he's been limited by injuries despite rushing for 1,005 yards last season. Redshirt sophomore DJ Morgan carried only 42 times in 2011.
As a result, Kiffin said freshman Nelson Agholor, who was recruited to play wide receiver, will begin camp as the team's top running back. Agholor, who was born in Nigeria, played at Berkeley Prep High School in Tampa, Fla.
"Our No. 1 concern is the running back position," Kiffin said. "We're very concerned about our depth there. We'd rather have Nelson be a receiver, which is what we primarily recruited him as, but we moved him because of the situation we're in."
Redd's interest in USC is unknown. The Patriot News of Harrisburg, Pa., reported asking Redd's father about USC's interest in his son and receiving this text message: "Still sifting through it all!"
But Ron Musselman, editor in chief of StateCollege.com, tweeted that Penn State coach Bill O'Brien said "no current players have informed him they intend to transfer."
