| Penn State players making a statement on their commitment to the program on Wednesday (PSU Football/Twitter.com) |
While the rest of college football takes interest in the possibility of adding an immediately eligible Penn State transfer, one group of current Nittany Lions has stated their intentions to stick with the program.
According to Penn State beat reporter Ben Jones, “roughly 25 players” gathered for the statement, which was led by senior running back Michael Zordich and fifth-year senior linebacker Michael Mauti.
“This program was not built by one man and this program is sure as hell not going to get torn down by one man,” Mauti said. The players did not take any questions following the statement.
One of the players not present for the statement was junior running back Silas Redd. Redd ran for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns in 2011, and is widely regarded as the player most sought after by other programs. ESPN.com’s Joe Schad reported that USC was interested in Redd. It is not unlikely that the junior running back would have the opportunity to start immediately for the Trojans - picked Tuesday as an overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-12 - this fall.
While Redd was not present for the team’s statement. Desmond Conner, of the Hartford Courant, spoke to Redd’s father, Silas Redd Sr., by phone on Tuesday. Earlier it was reported that Redd has not made a decision, and his father gave a hazy statement of commitment - at least for now.
"Silas Redd is a student-athlete at Penn State University, period," Redd’s father said to Conner.
One logistical reason for Redd not being with his teammates this morning for the statement is that the running back is currently on his way to Big Ten media days.
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