Lane Kiffin says he feels for Penn State’s coaches who are trying to keep their program together despite losing multiple scholarships, but he doesn’t feel badly enough to refrain from making a recruiting pitch aimed at one of their top players.
The LA Times reported on Monday that after Penn State was penalized by the NCAA, USC contacted the school about its intent to recruit sophomore running back Silas Redd, who rushed for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Unprompted, Kiffin directed part of his introductory comments at Pac-12 media day on Tuesday toward Redd without specifically mentioning the Penn State player’s name.
“Our No. 1 concern is our running back position,” Kiffin said. “We’re very concerned about our depth there. We’re going to have a lot of seven-man boxes, a lot of opportunity for a running back to make plays in our system, so we really have to do a good job of developing some depth at running back.”
Kiffin was later asked about USC’s interest in Silas. That’s when Mr. Integrity drew the line.
“We can’t speak on any kids on their roster,” Kiffin answered. “They’re just like high school kids at this point, so we can’t say anything about it.”
So let’s get this straight: Kiffin, representing one school in trouble with the NCAA, is trying to poach kids from another school in trouble with the NCAA, all the while feeling badly for the coaches.
“I feel for their staff, especially the head coach, because just like our deal, our kids had nothing to do with this,” said Kiffin.
Yes, I feel badly for you, Bill O’Brien, but I don’t mind swiping your best player. Lane Kiffin, everybody.
