On The Plains with KeAndre Lambert-Smith: ‘A different sense of confidence’

AUBURN, Ala. – When asked about transfer wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith at SEC Media Days last month, Payton Thorne’s eyes lit up. 

“He’s even better than I thought he was,” the Auburn quarterback said.

Lambert-Smith arrived at Auburn in May after graduating from Penn State with a degree in recreation, park and tourism management. He caught 126 passes for 1,721 yards in four seasons with the Nittany Lions and earned honorable mention all-Big 10 honors last season with 673 yards on 53 receptions. 

“For me, it’s his releases,” Thorne added. “When he gets pressed off the line, I feel great with him getting where he wants to go. His start/stop is really good, too. He’s a really polished receiver. He’s played a lot of games, caught a lot of touchdowns, and he’s going to have a chance to do that for us this year.”

Lambert-Smith was among those who heard Thorne’s comments with interest. 

“Obviously, it makes me feel good,” he said. “That’s kind of what I expected. In four years in college, I still haven’t shown what my game is capable of and playing to my strengths.”

For Lambert-Smith, that’s part of what played into his decision to enter the transfer portal. He had opportunities at Penn State, but he was looking for a place where he could showcase his skills even more and take his game to the next level. Auburn was a perfect fit.  

“Coming from a run-first offense (at Penn State), the receivers might not have always had that same confidence that I was used to,” Lambert-Smith said. “Now you come here, and you’re in a situation where you’ve got Coach (Hugh) Freeze, who’s known for throwing the ball and getting playmakers open. You’ve got a lot of guys on the offensive staff who take pride in throwing the ball. That just already gives you a different sense of confidence.”

Confidence is something Lambert-Smith has never really lacked. He likes to say (“in the most humble way”) that he’s the best player to come from his high school, Maury High in Norfolk, Virginia – even better than his uncle and four-time NFL Pro Bowler Kam Chancellor because he won a state championship while Chancellor never did. 

Lambert-Smith and Chancellor still talk regularly, and he expects Chancellor will visit the Plains for an Auburn game at some point this season. 

Confidence, however, was missing at times last season in Auburn’s wide receiver room. Since he’s arrived, Lambert-Smith has been working to instill it in a position group that has been completely overhauled and infused with talent this offseason. 

In the weight room this summer, you could hear Lambert-Smith talking to the other wide receivers.

“We’re the best group on the team. We’ve got to be the best group.”

“The narrative (from last year)? That’s changed,” he said. “I wasn’t here last year. I know what the narrative was. But I’m not even going for that because I see the room, I see the potential, I see the guys we’ve got in the room. I know what a good room looks like, and we’ve got a great room. If we attack every day with that confidence and that swagger that we’re the best group on the team, we’re going to be the reason Auburn wins a lot of games.”

In addition to Lambert-Smith, Auburn also added fellow transfers Robert Lewis (Georgia State) and Sam Jackson V (Cal) and a quartet of talented freshmen in Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons. 

“When we get that confidence and it’s 100 percent instilled in every guy in the room, we could be the best in the country,” Lambert-Smith said. 

Of the newcomer wide receivers, Lambert-Smith and Lewis have both played a game in Jordan-Hare Stadium. For Lambert-Smith, it came in 2022, when Penn State beat Auburn in what was just the fourth meeting all-time between the two schools. He caught two passes for 16 yards and completed a pass for 25 yards in the victory. 

“It was hot,” Lambert-Smith recalled. “We went in from warmup, and I was sweating as if I already played. I was drained. I thought, ‘No way I could ever play in a spot like this. I can’t come here.’ It’s crazy I end up here. 

“But it was electric. It was rocking in Jordan-Hare. They did the orange out. When Sean (Clifford, Penn State’s quarterback) got hit, oh my goodness. That’s why I came here, to come to play in front of crowds like that.”

In three weeks, Lambert-Smith will get to experience that same atmosphere on the home side when Auburn hosts Alabama A&M for Kickoff on the Plains. 

“That gets my juices flowing,” he said. “I’m already getting chills thinking about it. Just the first game, coming out, making a play, hearing the fans – I’m excited for all of it.”

Though Lambert-Smith has been in Auburn for less than three months, he already understands how important football is in the community.  

“The biggest goal this season is to take Auburn back to its winning tradition,” Lambert-Smith said. “There haven’t been enough wins in the past few seasons, but we’re trying to get into the playoff race. We’re trying to win a lot of games.”

For him personally, the goal is to take advantage of this senior seaon and reach his full potential. 

“Going into this fifth year, another big motivator is I haven’t been the guy that I know I am the last four years,” he said. “It’s that point of proving myself like, ‘You’re still one of the best receivers in the country. Just go out there, handle your business, work like you do every day, and when the opportunity presents itself, you’re going to show the world.’ 

“I’ve got a real chip on my shoulder. I’ve got a lot of friends in the NFL. I never imagined being a fifth year, but I know everybody’s path is different, everybody’s story is different. I just never saw it playing out like this. So, I’m using that to turn me up.”