Posted by: Pete Roussel on July 24, 2012

When talking with the media, Lane Kiffin typically has recruiting on his mind.  He's always selling the USC brand, accomplishments, and hoping that some 5-star is listening.

Or in this case, he was hoping a possible transfer was listening.

Not far along in his opening remarks at PAC-12 Media Day on Tuesday, Kiffin said, "We're two years removed from what was handed down as people saying 'SC is over,' and being a preseason no. 1 team two years later is extremely exciting for our University and for our fans."

He then, as only Lane can, went straight to his sales pitch for Penn State running back Silas Redd.  Kiffin, of course, didn't mention Redd by name, but the pitch seemed obvious.

Kiffin said, "We have a lot of issues.  We have an exciting schedule.  We will have fewer players than everybody else that we play, and we will have to manage that.  Our number one concern is our running back position.  We're concerned about our depth there, and we know what we have at quarterback and receiver, and we know people are going to try to take those guys away. So, they will bring seven-man boxes and opportunities for our running backs to make plays, and we will have to do a great job at developing depth at running back."

Beautiful. Only, Lane.

While a number of programs have begun targeting Penn State players, Florida head coach Will Muschamp warned that you better be careful.

Muschamp said, "I think you gotta be very careful. We're very close to the season right now. Our players work really hard, and I love the chemistry in our locker room right now. You can disrupt your football team very easily by bringing somebody from the outside if it's not the right fit."

Penn State players have until start of fall camp (Aug. 6) to transfer or stay.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported today that he learned of one SEC program that began recruiting 3 Penn State players only 30 minutes after the sanctions were announced.

Charlie Weis and Rick Stockstill admitted they are interested in Penn State players.  Spurrier said his staff won't go after Penn State players unless they initiate the contact with South Carolina assistants.

In case you missed Bill O'Brien's candid interview on the Dan Patrick Radio Show, I suggest you read about it.  O'Brien exemplified leadership at its best during the interview.

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Pete Roussel is a valuable resource for coaches, athletic directors, NFL front-office personnel, and college football enthusiasts. A former college football coach, Roussel shares insight on coaches 365 days a year and is recognized as the most trusted expert on coaching transactions. Follow @CoachingSearch on twitter and send your feedback to pete@coachingsearch.com