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KeAndre Lambert-Smith reveals decision on future at Penn State
By Paul Harvey
Published:
KeAndre Lambert-Smith is officially in the transfer portal as of Monday, delivering another blow to Penn State’s offense entering a crucial 2024 season.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and others, Lambert-Smith is in the transfer portal on Monday as a graduate transfer. The transfer portal officially opens to undergrads on Tuesday.
Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith is in the NCAA transfer portal. He has 1,721 yards and 11 TDs in his career.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 15, 2024
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GET THE APPThe story surrounding Lambert-Smith was an interesting one to end the week with reports that the veteran receiver had been away from the team ahead of the spring game. Despite being listed on the White team roster, he was not active or spotted in attendance on Saturday.
After the spring game, James Franklin dodged the topic of Lambert-Smith with a telling response:
“I’m really happy to talk about any of the guys that played in the game today and are in the locker room,” said Franklin. “Besides that, I don’t have a lot to tell you.”
Impact of the move
As for Lambert-Smith, he is likely to be one of the best players available to hit the portal this spring. A veteran performer, Lambert-Smith led the Nittany Lions with 53 catches for 673 yards and was second on the team with 4 receiving touchdowns last season.
Meanwhile, his departure opens up a hole for Penn State. Wide receiver was a position of need for the program this offseason, which is why the Nittany Lions added former Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming to the room.
Fleming was originally added to the WR room to play alongside Lambert-Smith and Harrison Wallace III, but this move adds even more pressure for Fleming to be a true No. 1 option. It’s also possible Penn State will also look to the portal to find a replacement or depth in the room coming out of the spring.
On a larger scale, starting quarterback Drew Allar clearly had some chemistry with Lambert-Smith a season ago. Without Lambert-Smith, Allar was inconsistent and inaccurate throughout the spring game, and it was not the kind of performance that instills a lot of confidence.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.