( CNN ) -- Silas Redd , who last year racked up five consecutive 100-yard games as tailback for Penn State 's Nittany Lions , is leaving the troubled team to head west . `` We welcome Silas Redd to the Trojan Family , '' said the University of Southern California 's athletic director , Pat Haden , in a statement on Tuesday . `` He is an outstanding student and athlete . '' The 5-foot , 10-inch , 200-pound junior from Norwalk , Connecticut , gained 1,241 rushing yards in his sophomore season , the 10th-highest total in Penn State history . His departure could heighten a fear of attrition that was already hanging over Penn State 's football program in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal and as the NCAA has limited the number of scholarships it can offer while allowing current players to transfer . Sandusky voice mails released ; abuse victim to sue . The Harrisburg Patriot News had reported that Redd was only one of a handful of players who were planning to leave . His transfer was announced on the same day that Penn State 's football team returned for a preseason workout as it heads into its first season in decades without head coach Joe Paterno , who died in January during the sex abuse scandal . Fans , many dressed in the school 's royal blue and white and holding signs of support , greeted athletes arriving for the 7 a.m. workout with chants of `` For the team ! '' and `` PSU ! '' Do sanctions alter history books on legacy ? `` It 's a crucial time for Penn State Football , '' a university sports radio broadcast called `` The Goon Show '' posted days before on its website in its call to Tuesday 's rally . `` It 's up to you to show the players why they should stay at PSU . '' The fans , who belted out support for Bill O'Brien , Penn State 's new head football coach , numbered in the hundreds , CNN affiliate broadcaster WGAL said . Such morale boosters could prove key to the team , which saw NCAA sanctions wipe out more than a decade 's worth of wins after the scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky , who was convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse against 10 boys . iReport : Penn State team returns to cheers . Vestiges of Paterno , including his bronze statute in front of Beaver Stadium , vanished amid the scandal . The NCAA slapped the school with a four-year postseason ban and imposed a $ 60 million sanction after investigators blamed top university leaders , including Paterno , for showing `` total and consistent disregard '' for victims while a sexual predator lurked on campus . Paterno 's official record dropped from 409 wins to 298 , while the NCAA also struck down six bowl wins and two conference championships . `` We 're not giving up on them , '' said Don Smith , a longtime fan . `` What happened was unfortunate , but we 're going to come back . Penn State is going to come back stronger than ever . '' Penn State 's training camp officially kicks off on August 6 . So does USC 's . 'Stark wake-up call ' Five experts : What happens to Penn State football ? CNN 's Jill Martin and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report .
NEW : Don Smith is leaving NCAA Penn State 's . NEW : The star tailback racked up five consecutive 100-yard games Tuesday . Fans gathered before sunrise Tuesday to chant in support of the Nittany Lions team . The NCAA hit the school with sanctions including a loss of football scholarships .