Keyvone lee – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Looking at how Penn State has loaded up the depth at running back

A look at how Penn State has stacked its running back depth for the next few years through solid recruiting.

For the longest time, the Big Ten has relied upon the running game to be its offensive anchor, recent trends though have it pivoting away from that. There is a renewed focus on the quarterback position ever since Ryan Day and his high-powered Buckeye offense took over the conference. It seems however that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is ignoring all of that and taking a different approach.

We have seen a renewed focus on finding the next great Nittany Lion tailback. We have seen him bringing in a bunch of recruits in both the 2022 and 2023 recruiting class to make the running back position one of the deeper depth charts on the team.

Each back though should be playing its own unique role though. We should have a new leader in the clubhouse going forward but some veteran presence may affect things this year. Beyond 2022 though, things are looking very promising for running backs at Penn State.

Carolina Panthers sign former Penn State running back John Lovett

Former Penn State and Baylor running back is reunited with Matt Rhule with the Carolina Panthers.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1ybhnw0byyr425fp2 playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1ybhnw0byyr425fp2/01g1ybhnw0byyr425fp2-c2b964409487d12b4e1e133605b396e7.jpg]

[listicle id=18862]

[lawrence-related id=19080,19078,19076,19074,19068,18973,19044]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Blue-White Game Report Card: Grading Penn State’s spring football game

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s spring game wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard, even in a modified scoring system. And fans wanting to see drastic improvement from the program that has gone .500 over the past two seasons may be left wondering if Penn State is set up for another mediocre season in Happy Valley after watching the Blue-White Game. But Penn State’s final spring practice of the year had some positive developments and some reminders that help is on the way over the summer.

And now the grades are in for Penn State’s performance during the Blue-White Game. Here’s how each position group was graded for the spring game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Quarterback: C

A recurring theme when it comes to the offensive grades following Penn State’s game is probably chalked up to a simple “Eh, it could have been better.” That was the basic takeaway from the performance of the quarterbacks overall, but any expectation of any passer just lighting up the spring game may have been unreasonable.

We were never likely to see a whole lot out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], the sixth-year senior who really has little more to prove at this point. We know pretty much exactly what Clifford is, and if given time to process the field, he can make plays. But he had some overthrown passes at times. He did, however, throw the game’s only touchdown of the game.

The backup competition behind Clifford is the real storyline here, and the future of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] is what fans are eager to witness. But a rough spring debut for the true freshman shows there is still work to be done in the big picture. If based solely on one afternoon, [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] proved he should be the team’s primary backup option heading into the season, although Allar should improve quickly.

[lawrence-related id=18562]

Next: Grading the running backs

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8

Inside the Box Score: The key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game

Inside the box score with some key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s Blue-White Game showed the Nittany Lions are still a bit of a work in progress in some key areas, but there were still some players and developments worth being optimistic about moving into the summer. And the final box score from a spring scrimmage like Penn State’s can oftentimes be misleading or unnecessarily overanalyzed. Nonetheless, it is a starting point for evaluating just where the Nittany Lions are heading once the 2022 season begins.

So, with the caution of not wanting to get too carried away with the official stats shared by Penn State from the Blue-White Game on Saturday afternoon, let’s dive headfirst into the key stats from the final spring practice of the season before Penn State moves to the next stage of its offseason.

And why not start with the quarterback position?

Quarterbacks

[autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag]: 5-of-14, 75 yards
[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]: 6-of-14, 61 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 sack
[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag]: 4-of-7, 41 yards, 1 touchdown
[autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]: 2-of-3, 7 yards, 2 sacks

Sean Clifford had some decent production in his time on the field, including the game’s only touchdown pass (to transfer addition Mitchell Tinsley. Clifford also had the best performance from passers in seven-on-seven drills, for whatever that is worth.

Christian Veilleux had the most complete performance among those vying for backup consideration to Clifford. This could have been expected given he already has some in-game experience from last season.

Don’t get too down when reviewing the stat line for five-star quarterback Drew Allar, because he was not given much help at times by his receivers dropping passes or having a ball bounce off their hands. But he did have a number of throws that seemed to be just a tad behind his intended targets. And Beau Pribula also had some freshman moments, which was to be expected.

NEXT: Who were the top running backs in the Blue-White Game?

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

5 takeaways from Penn State’s Blue-White spring game

5 takeaways form Penn State’s Blue-White Gme

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] admitted the 2022 Blue-White Game may not have been the best way to entertain fans and answer questions for the media, but he seemed to be pleased with the development of his team as the spring practices came to a close. Saturday’s Blue-White Game allowed plenty of players on the roster to get some opportunities to shine and, more importantly, just get some playing time in a scrimmage format.

With a roster with some key freshmen just joining the program, the expectations are high. But for a team coming off a pair of mediocre seasons, Penn State’s Blue-White Game may have felt a tad underwhelming for some fans watching.

But there are some takeaways you can have from what was largely a glorified scrimmage with a modified scoring system. Here are five that stood out to me.

WATCH: Penn State wasted no time getting the ball to Nick Singleton in the Blue-White Game

WATCH: Penn State’s first play of the Blue-White Game is a handoff to the five-star running back

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] didn’t want to wait very long to give fans their first glimpse of five-star running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] in the Blue-White Game on Saturday afternoon. The first play of the afternoon was a simple handoff to one of the prizes of the recent Class of 2022.

Penn State opened the spring session with a few quick two-point conversion attempts before beginning its modified scoring system for the rest of the afternoon. Returning starting quarterback [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] opened the session with a simple handoff to Singleton from the two-point yard line, and Singleton delivered with an easy run up the middle for a successful two-point conversion, but without the benefit of any points actually being rewarded. But just the image of the expected starting quarterback handing off to the next big-time running back was fun to enjoy at the start of the day.

Penn State’s next two-point conversion play saw [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] complete a pass to the endzone to Jaden Dottin, which was followed by some field goal attempts by the kickers on the roster. When the offense-vs-defense portion of the scrimmage officially started, Clifford returned to the field with [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] lining up in the backfield instead of Singleton.

[mm-video type=video id=01fsdjmvkbqtq16mf3bv playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fsdjmvkbqtq16mf3bv/01fsdjmvkbqtq16mf3bv-5a1f8cf3679d7ec39d53a0890364af04.jpg]

Penn State Blue-White Game: Stream, injury report, broadcast info

How to watch the Penn State Blue-White Game this Saturday, things to know, injury report, and pregame reading material…

Spring is in the air, which means it is time once again to watch Penn State wrap up its spring football practice schedule with the annual Blue-White Game in Beaver Stadium. [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his Nittany Lions will close out their spring practice schedule with the annual spring game event on Saturday before turning the page to the next part of the offseason leading up to the start of a new football season, and they will do so with a lot to look forward to.

Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Penn State Snapshot Profile: No. 24 Keyvone Lee

Keyvone Lee has been Penn State’s leading rusher the past two seasons. How does he fit into the offense in 2022?

Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

[autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] has been Penn State’s leading rusher each of the past two seasons in his first two seasons with the program. Lee quickly emerged as a player to watch during his true freshman season when he stepped up to make up for the sudden retirement of Journey Brown and the early injury to Noah Cain. And in 2021, Lee was one of three preseason Doak Walker Award watch list players on Penn State’s roster. Penn State’s running game failed to produce a single 100-yard rusher in any game last season, but Lee showed at times he is capable of being a featured back, although he still has some room to develop as well.

Penn State spring football: Early results very promising for freshmen running backs

Penn State offensive coordinator is impressed by what he’s seeing out of freshmen running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Penn State is on a mission this spring to find ways to improve its ability to run the football, and help may have already arrived in the form of a pair of freshmen. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] have each enrolled early to be able to participate in spring football practices in State College this year, and the early indications are both are looking like solid fixtures in the running game’s plans for the upcoming season.

“They’re impressive. Those two guys are going to make it ultra competitive in that room,” Penn State offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] said when meeting with the media this week, according to Lions247. “They’re very explosive. And what’s impressive to me is that they came out of high school and physically they’re at a stage where they can do all things.”

Singleton came to Penn State as a fully decorated high school star. Singleton was named the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year, which has led to him earning a new nickname from his new teammates. Singleton has since pulled in a handful of other awards, including the Maxwell Football Club’s offensive player of the year award.

Allen may not have the same kind of trophy rack to his name, but Allen is another stellar addition to the depth chart as a four-star recruit with plenty of potential to be a big-time player.

“You don’t have to worry about what down it is with those guys,” Yurcich said when discussing the duo of freshmen running backs. “They can play on all downs because of their physical strength and their maturity.

The future may be bright for Singleton and Allen may be bright, but Penn State still needs its returning players to contribute as well.

“We’ve got a pretty good feel of who the vets are,” head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] said of his returning running back options, including [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag], earlier this week. “We need them and expect them to take a step this year. The two freshmen have been impressive really since they showed up on campus.”

[vertical-gallery id=2823]

[listicle id=16485]

[lawrence-related id=17638,17596,10945,17971]

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Penn State spring football: Mike Yurcich ready for run game improvements

Penn State’s running game lacked firepower in 2021, but Mike Yurcich is showing a commitment to changing that in 2022.

Penn State opened spring football practices last week with a good handful of questions worth addressing if the team is going to succeed in 2022. One of the questions at the top of the list for offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] is focused squarely on how to improve the run game after a dismal 2021 campaign.

Following a spring practice on Wednesday evening, Yurcich was asked about head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag]’s previous comments about being committed to running the football better in 2022. Not surprisingly, Yurcich echoed the sentiment and reinforced the idea the whole approach to running the ball has to improve.

“I think it’s very accurate,” Yurcich said when asked about Franklin’s stance on the running game, according to Lions247. “We have to run the football better. We’re committed to it, and we will.”

Penn State failed to have a single game with a 100-yard rusher during the 2021 season despite having three players appear on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award before the season started. [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] battled injury concerns and has since left Penn State for LSU. [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] returns and is expected to be a key piece of the offensive game plan. And Penn State just added open of the top running backs and high school players in the country with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag]. The talent at the running back position does not appear to be the biggest culprit of the lack of success running the ball. Instead, the problems could be with the offensive line, which is a position group that is under a bit of a microscope this spring and is a clear area of emphasis in the recruiting for the Class of 2023.

No matter what it takes, Yurcich is committed to figuring out the problem and showing improvement on the ground in 2022.

“That’s our goal, and that’s what we’re gonna do this spring,” Yurcich said. “We’re gonna execute better. We’re gonna coach it better. We’re gonna play better.”

Helmet sticker to Lions247.