The Carolina Panthers are having a bit of a Penn State flavor under head coach [autotag]Matt Rhule[/autotag]. After using a fourth-round draft pick to draft Penn State linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] and signing special teams standout [autotag]Drew Hartlaub[/autotag] to an undrafted free agent contract, the Panthers added one more Nittany Lion to the mix with running back [autotag]John Lovett[/autotag].
Lovett signed with the Panthers as another undrafted free agent, according to NFL analyst and reporter Matt Lombardo, via Twitter.
#PennState RB John Lovett is signing with the #Panthers as a UDFA
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) May 1, 2022
Lovett transferred to Penn State from Baylor last year and was expected to be a solid contributor to the Penn State running game along with [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] and [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag]. All three were listed on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, but Penn State’s entire running game was a disappointment in 2021. Not one player recorded a single 100-yard rushing game. Lovett was used in a backup role for the majority of the season and didn’t appear in every game due to an early-season suspension.
Of course, Rhule is very familiar with what Lovett has to offer on his roster, as Rhule was once Lovett’s head coach at Baylor.
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