INDIANAPOLIS– Speaking with reporters at the NFL Combine Friday morning, KeAndre Lambert-Smith revealed that the most common question teams ask him is why he left Penn State, and he answered that question later in the presser.
Penn State fans should know Lambert-Smith’s story by now but for the rare ones who don’t, here’s a refresher.
Lambert-Smith played at Penn State from 2020-23, starting games in each of his four seasons.
In his last year, he was the team’s No. 1 receiver, ending the year with 673 yards and four touchdowns on 53 receptions. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lambert-Smith had an extra year of eligibility and it looked like he would use it at Penn State, a national title contender.
Lambert-Smith practiced with the team during spring ball but, days before the Blue-White game, reporters surfaced that he could well be hitting the transfer portal.
Those reports were correct, and Lambert-Smith ended up at Auburn, where he put up the best numbers of his career in his first and only season there (50 catches, 981 yards, eight touchdowns.)
At the same time, Auburn went 5-7 while Penn State came within a game of playing for the national title.
So why did Lambert-Smith make his decision, and does he have any regrets about it?
WHY KLS LEFT
Keandre Lambert-Smith celebrates his fourth quarter game winning touchdown in the final two minutes.
Here’s why Lambert-Smith said he left Penn State.
“I went there to compete, play at a high level, and I feel like I did that,” Lambert-Smith said. “Not everything is meant to last forever. Sometimes good things come to an end.”
Lambert-Smith said he wanted to stay through the spring season so he could get his degree.
“I spent four years there,” he said, “I graduated, which was the main goal and just decided to look for a new option for my fifth year. I wanted to reach that level and prove who I was.”
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DOES HE REGRET IT?
Keandre Lambert-Smith tip toes into the endzone for a 57 yard score in the final minutes of Penn State’s win over Indiana.
So does Lambert-Smith regret leaving Penn State?
“Going into it, you can’t deal with regret,” he said. “That’s one thing me and my coach talked about. If you make a decision to stay or leave, you have to live with however it plays out. So, if they won the natty… Like I said, I’m cheering for the guys. I was rooting for them to win the natty. I still have best friends on that team, so there’s no regret. There’s nothing like that. I made my decision.”
Smith keeps in touch with many of his former teammates, including KJ Winston, Tyler Warren, Kobe King and Jaylen Reed, who were all at the combine.
He also keeps in touch with Marques Hagans, who was his receivers coach in 2023.
As for head coach James Franklin, Lambert-Smith said the two don’t communicate.
All in all, Lambert-Smith was happy to see Penn State’s success.
“I went to Penn State for four years,” he said, “I built lifelong relationships there. Those guys wish me luck, they’re happy for the season I had, I’m happy for them. It’s still mutual, still all love. We all have the same goal, which is the NFL.”
Some Penn State fans feel the team could have used Lambert-Smith in 2024.
The receivers group had well-documented struggles, culminating with the team’s Orange Bowl/College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame in which Penn State’s receivers caught zero passes.
If Lambert-Smith were on that team, would Penn State have gotten to the national title game or even won it?
“That’s all for ya’ll to answer,” he said. “The world may never know.”
