Big expectations ahead, KeAndre Lambert-Smith gets new number

Penn State football has a new No. 1. After spending the first two years of his career as a Nittany Lion as No. 13, receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has swapped jersey numbers and the mantle ahead of the 2022 season.

And it’s not without significance, either.

For the first time since receiver K.J. Hamler donned the number as a true freshman in 2017 and wore it until his NFL departure following the 2019 season, Lambert-Smith will wear No. 1 on Penn State’s offense. Further, more immediately, he picks up the number from safety Jaquan Brisker, now of the Chicago Bears as a second-round NFL Draft selection last month.

In a Penn State offense needing to take strides from its 2021 performance, with Lambert-Smith’s performance expected to be a big part of bolstering that effort, the designation could serve as a signal for how the program anticipates Lambert-Smith will come through. 

“I definitely feel like this is one of those years, with ‘Han leaving. I feel like my role has increased and I’m just ready to make plays for the team,” Lambert-Smith told reporters this spring. “(We’re) building the chemistry with the offense, Sean and, we’re ready to make plays.”

KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s path to this point

Last season, Lambert-Smith did so with mixed results as a sophomore. 

Starting all 13 games for Penn State, Lambert-Smith began with a bang against Wisconsin. His 71 yards on four receptions, including a 52-yard catch, helped lift the Nittany Lions over the Badgers. 

It would begin a string of ups-and-downs in which, from game to game, Lambert-Smith’s impact varied considerably. Following a big 83-yard touchdown catch against Villanova, he posted two catches for 25 yards over Indiana.

At Iowa, Lambert-Smith notched five catches, a career-high, for a team-high 61 yards. It kicked off a stretch that included a touchdown against Illinois, and 49 yards on four catches at Ohio State.

The same level of success wouldn’t prove sustainable for Lambert-Smith, though, who finished with a combined six catches in the final four games of the regular season. But, in the absence of Dotson in the Outback Bowl, Lambert-Smith took the step head coach James Franklin had hoped to see with three catches for 74 yards including a 42-yard touchdown.

“To see Parker and KeAndre do some good things today, that’s going to be important because we’re losing a lot of production in Jahan Dotson,” Franklin said after the game.

Next steps

Now, Lambert-Smith will have the opportunity to do it on a more consistent basis. Not coincidentally, Dotson is expecting the same. 

“KeAndre Lambert is also another guy that’s going to have a big year,” Dotson said this spring ahead of his first-round draft selection by the Washington Commanders. “I just can’t wait to see those guys really turn from the babies that I saw them come in at 18 years old to making big plays on Saturday.”

Aiming to become a fixture of Penn State’s offense, he set the stage this spring as a player who has taken great strides already, with more to come.

“I know as a freshman, I came in, I wasn’t very mentally strong. I let a lot of stuff get to me. And I realized going into my sophomore year I did way better with that,” Lambert-Smith said. “And I realized there’s still room for improvement. So I feel like going into my third year, there are still areas I can get better in that state. And then, (I can also improve) my ability with the ball in my hands, being more explosive, making more plays for the team.”

With a new number signaling his stature in the program, Penn State will be counting on as much from Lambert-Smith this season. Penn State players to have worn No. 1 under James Franklin include NFL draftees Christian Campbell, Hamler, and Brisker.

Other number changes

Penn State also announced a number change for quarterback Christian Veilleux on Monday. He’ll go from No. 9 to No. 11.

Penn State is expected to roll out its other roster number changes throughout the afternoon on Monday.