Penn State running back Keyvone Lee announced on Twitter early Friday evening that he has entered the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. The move was somewhat anticipated as Lee battled injuries during the 2022 season and found himself on the outside looking in of Penn State youthful running back rotation.
Lee, who, according to coach James Franklin, was available for Penn State’s Rose Bowl appearance against Utah, finished the 2022 season with 25 carries for 94 yards Lee last registered a carry in Penn State’s blowout loss to Michigan. Lee had 10 carries for 40 yards against Northwestern in a soggy 17-7 victory at Beaver Stadium. Overall Lee leaves Penn State with 1,062 career rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Lee showed promise his freshman season at Penn State racking up 438 yards on 89 carries while also catching 12 passes during his first campaign as a Nittany Lion in 2020. Despite this, Lee never quite took that next step, especially in the face of increasingly talented younger running backs joining the Nittany Lions’ roster. Penn State will lean on rising sophomores Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton in the immediate future.
“We’ll see how that rotation will go,” Franklin said prior to the Rose Bowl. “Those two running backs obviously have played and played really well, but having Keyvone available really important. He’s practiced extremely well, so that’s been great.”
