Penn State running back Keyvone Lee has entered the transfer portal after three seasons with the program, he announced via Twitter Friday night.
I’m officially In the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility left🙏🏾
— keyvone lee (@KeyvoneL) January 13, 2023
The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
In 2022, freshmen running backs Nick Singleton (1,061 yards, 12 touchdowns, 6.8 YPC) and Kaytron Allen (867 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.2 YPC) became the focal points of Penn State’s running game, and Lee didn’t have many chances to contribute.
Lee went from 438 yards in his first season and 495 in his second to 94 in his third. The combination of Singleton and Allen’s rises and Lee dealing with injuries led to him only getting 25 carries and not playing a down after Oct. 15, when Penn State played at Michigan. A day before Penn State’s Rose Bowl Game against Utah, coach James Franklin announced that Lee would be available. Lee ended up not getting any carries in that game, and it looks like that will end up being his last at Penn State. Lee has two seasons of eligibility left.
Lee’s signature moment this past season and probably his Penn State career took place in its first game. At Purdue on a Thursday night, Lee caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Sean Clifford for the winning score. If Lee doesn’t score that touchdown, Penn State might not beat Purdue. If Penn State doesn’t beat Purdue, it doesn’t play in the Rose Bowl. Keyvone Lee was also Penn State’s leading rusher in 2020 and 2021.
With Singleton and Allen set to return for the 2023 season, Penn State’s running game should be in good shape. With that said, the most experienced back behind those two, Tank Smith, is a walk-on who has 28 career carries. Penn State also has two backs coming in from the 2023 recruiting class; four-star London Montgomery and three-star Cameron Wallace.
