Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith enters transfer portal

KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Penn State’s leading receiver last season, is moving on.

Lambert-Smith has entered the transfer portal in search of a new home, according to multiple reports. The senior will have one year of eligibility at his next school.

The news comes after Lambert-Smith was not seen at the media’s practice window last Tuesday or the Blue-White game over the weekend. Lambert-Smith was “strongly considering” the portal last week, per 247 Sports.

The spring transfer portal opens to all players on Tuesday and will close on April 30. Lambert-Smith is in the portal now as a graduate transfer. Grad transfers can enter the portal at any time.

Lambert-Smith’s exit is a bit of a surprise, but not completely out of left field. It seemed like Lambert-Smith might move on via the winter transfer portal. The team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards, who saw his role diminish significantly down the stretch, could have also tested the NFL waters.

Lambert-Smith led the Nittany Lions with 53 receptions for 673 yards last season while scoring four touchdowns. That was after he showed promise in 2022, securing 24 catches for 389 yards and four touchdowns — including a record-breaking 88-yarder in the Rose Bowl.

Lambert-Smith never fully capitalized on that momentum. He had his moments in 2023; the 72-yard touchdown in the West Virginia opener and the 57-yard game-winner against Indiana were the biggest. But the 6-foot-1 target vanished as the season progressed. He had two catches in Penn State’s final four games. His only target in the Peach Bowl was a drop.

After the Peach Bowl, every player who participated in the New Year’s Six game was required to be available to speak with reporters in an open locker room setting. Lambert-Smith declined to answer questions from PennLive following what turned out to be his final game at Penn State.

But Lambert-Smith didn’t exit after the season like some thought he might. The winter transfer portal closed without him submitting his name. The NFL draft’s declaration deadline came and went. Shortly after, Lambert-Smith indicated that he would be back for a fifth season.

Lambert-Smith returned to campus for winter workouts for spring camp. James Franklin said the veteran receiver showed “real flashes” during practice “on a more consistent basis.”

“We need him to have a big year,” Franklin added. “And we expect him to have a big year.”

Perhaps, in retrospect, that was Franklin’s last-ditch effort to try to keep Lambert-Smith with the team. Now, if Lambert-Smith does have a big year in 2024, he’ll be doing it elsewhere.

In his absence, Penn State will have to turn to others to replace the lost production. The shortcomings of the wide receiver room became one of the biggest storylines of last season, and that won’t stop any time soon.