Former Penn State RB John Lovett currently leading UFL in rushing

Could a former Penn State running back be the MVP of the UFL this season? John Lovett is making his case!

His time in Happy Valley may have been brief, but [autotag]John Lovett[/autotag] has certainly been performing admirably in his professional football career. Lovett is currently leading the UFL, the merged league between the XFL and USFL, in rushing yards entering Week 7 of the league’s debut season. And that has him squarely in the running to be considered the UFL’s most valuable player.

Lovett has rushed for 348 yards this season for the San Antonio Brahmas through the first six games of the season. He is one of two running backs in the league to have rushed for at least 300 yards this season, with former Nebraska and Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez being the other (Martinez is the quarterback for the Birmingham Stallions). On a league-high 74 rushing attempts, Lovett has also not fumbled the football once this season.

Despite the Brahmas coming up short in their last game against the DC Defenders, Lovett rushed for 153 yards on 23 attempts and caught a touchdown pass. Heading into the weekend, Lovett currently sits just four points shy of the UFL’s scoring lead with 34 points scored. Lovett will be a big reason why the Brahmas clinch a spot in the UFL playoffs as they look to compete for the XFL conference title for a chance to win the inaugural UFL championship.

RJ Young of Fox Sports currently has Lovett ranked fourth in his UFL MVP power rankings. He is probably a bit of an outside shot to win the league’s MVP award behind the previously mentioned Martinez and former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (St. Louis Battlehawks), but Lovett is in the mix for sure.

Lovett came to Penn State out of the transfer portal from Baylor following the 2020 season. After spending four seasons with the Baylor program, amassing 1,803 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, Lovett took on a scaled-back role at Penn State and was hampered at times by some injury concerns. He appeared in 9 games for the Nittany Lions during the 2021 season and rushed for 177 yards.

Lovett played on the practice squad for the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and spent a training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023 before being released prior to the start of the NFL season. His showing in the UFL will likely help him stay on the radar for some NFL teams in search of running back depth in 2024.

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