USC Football: Today the Decision Day for Penn State’s Silas Redd?

It’s been an interesting ride watching the Silas Redd story develop over the course of the past week, in the wake of Penn State’s NCAA sanctions stemming from the university’s cover-up of Jerry Sandusky’s child sex crimes. Only the Nittany Lions’ running back could take the light off of Joe Paterno and his statue, and he’s done so in a way that has captivated two fan bases, three thousand miles apart.

Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

However, with his link to the USC Trojans and head coach Lane Kiffin, Redd’s decision on whether or not to transfer to USC should be revealed today. Let’s see how we got here.

Monday, July 23:

• 6:00 am: The NCAA lays the wood on Penn State, suspending them from bowl participation for four years, limiting their roster of scholarship players to 65 and fining the university $60 million for covering up the Sandusky case. With that, all Penn State players were deemed eligible to transfer and play immediately.
• 7:18pm: ESPN’s Joe Schad reports on Twitter that Silas Redd is interested in USC.

Tuesday, July 24:

• 10:55 am: At Pac-12 Media Day, USC head coach Lane Kiffin is adamant that running back is the position of need for the Trojans.
• 5:03 pm: Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports tweets that NCAA rules that USC cannot exceed the 75-man roster limit on scholarship players, despite Redd being amnestied in 2012.

Thursday, July 26:

• 7:16 am: Schad reports that Silas Redd is forgoing Big Ten Media Day, and instead is hosting a visit from Lane Kiffin.
• 9:30 am: Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien speaks to the media at Big Ten Media Day. He couldn’t update the Redd situation, nor had a comment on Illinois sending eight coaches to State College, though he did give respect to Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema for his refusal to recruit Penn State players.
• 9:55 am: Schad elaborates on the Redd meeting with Kiffin, saying that the lengthy visit included a PowerPoint presentation and “it went well”. Also adds that Redd is planning on visiting USC over the weekend, with hopes of deciding on Monday.
• 4:44 pm: FOX Sports Radio’s Petros Papadakis from the Petros and Money show reported that Silas Redd had committed to USC and was going to visit to finalize his decision. The report turned out to be false, and more of an admitted hunch by Petros than a report.

Friday, July 27:

• 4:05 pm: 4-Star defensive end Jason Hatcher commits to USC, giving the Trojans 17 commitments to the Class of 2013, and leaving one spot left that Silas Redd could use.

Saturday, July 28:

• 7:38 pm: The School Philly cites a source and the coaching staff, to a claim that Redd has 100% chance of returning to Penn State.

Sunday, July 29:

• 2:24 pm: 4-Star defensive end Torrodney Prevot commits to USC and is the 18th and final commitment to the Class of 2013, forcing the hand of Silas Redd and the USC coaching staff.
• 11:23 pm: Michael Lev of the Orange County Register reports that an anonymous walk-on turned scholarship player would be willing to give up their scholarship for Silas Redd.

That’s what’s happened so far. Let’s see how it plays out.