Former Penn State WR Keandre Lambert-Smith marks against Virginia-Western on September 2, 2024. Photo by Paul Burdick | For statecollege.com
Indianapolis – “Why did you leave Penn State?”
There is nothing that Keandre Lambert-Smith was more questioned about the meetings with the NFL teams. His career with Nittany Lions was filled with twists and turns, heroists and sorrow. Rose Bowl’s Touché Bowl from Lambert-Smith began in 2023 with a blow, to finish the calendar year with only two receptions in the last four games.
Lambert-Smith, who has already been called by James Franklin to become the next broader receiver of the program, was only targeted once in his last match with Penn State. He was transferred to Auburn last spring, becoming an All-Sec selection and stimulating his storage stock in the process. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for Lambert-Smith, to say the least.
The conclusion of the 2023 Penn State season, a defeat against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, left a sour taste in the mouth of Lambert-Smith. It has been underused for weeks, visibly and vocally frustrated in the post-match changing rooms. But he remained, he said, to graduate in the spring. Then he went to get a new opportunity. The rest is history.
“I was not sure of my career until last year,” Lambert-Smith at the NFL Scouting was combined on Friday. Marcus Davis, the wide receptor coach of the tigers, changed this direction. It took only one call with Davis and a visit to Auburn and Lambert-Smith was sold. He then concluded his university career with three consecutive games of 100 yards.
“I really felt confident in the season I had. … My level of confidence went up, my playing capacity,” said Lambert-Smith. “I have proven that I can always make disputed captures, make them miss, make difficult captures in general and be a playmaker for my team is something that I think I have been able since I arrived at university, but I could not present it as well as I thought.”
The man nicknamed “Big Play Dre” was once again making big games. Lambert-Smith was raised and carried by fans of the Jordan-Hare Stadium after his jump jump obtained a conversion attempt of two winning points in a 43-41 victory at four times against Texas A & M n ° 15 on November 24. The Lambert-Smith legend had finally grown up. It just took a change of landscape.
“I love Auburn,” said Lambert-Smith. “In a short time, I was there, I feel like I left my inheritance and I will always remember it there.”
And, at least for a near future, Lambert-Smith will not soon be forgotten around Penn State. His energetic behavior was loved by many teammates, some of whom with whom he remained in touch during the Nittany Lions race at the semi-finals of the university football playoffs. It was his family, and he supported his former teammates when they went up Oh, so close to a national title.
“By going, you cannot live with regret,” he said. “This is something that I and my trainer talk about. If you decide to stay or leave, you have to live with it, so, if they win the natty, I encourage the guys. I sent them sms. I hoped they would win the natty. I always had the best friends of this team.”
Lambert-Smith’s relationship with Penn State coaches, however, can be another story. He remains in contact with Marques Hagans, his former wide receiver coach and another native of Virginia. But when he was asked if he has embarked on conversations with Franklin since his transfer, Lambert-Smith said “not really”.
The Nittany Lions concluded last season with a defeat against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, a match in which the quarter-Arrière attracted ALLAR did not manage to finish a single pass to a wide receiver. Lambert-Smith looked on a screen, resting after a year of career which has almost eclipsed 1,000 reception yards. Who knows the impact he could have had during a last trip to Penn State?
Lambert-Smith is not concerned with these questions. But others surrounding his past have held closely to his side, especially during the pre-project process. There is no story of the rise of Lambert-Smith to the fame in Auburn without discussing his benefits with the Nittany Lions. But through all this, Lambert-Smith maintains the same confidence he has for years.
“I am a big playmaker,” said Lambert-Smith. “I am one of the best, if not the best.”
