ESPN Snubs Auburn WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith in Newcomer Ranking

Former Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has arguably been the Auburn Tigers MVP this season.

ESPN lowballs Auburn Tigers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith on their top-newcomers ranking. /

One of the hazards of playing for a losing team, is individual efforts tend to get overlooked. Just because a team is having a bad season, doesn't mean individual players can't be having terrific years.

That certainly seems to be the case with Auburn Tigers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. It's not a stretch to say he's been the team's MVP through the first half of the season. The former Penn State standout has 24 catches for 510 yards and six touchdowns. His touchdowns are a career high, and he's on pace to shatter the 673 yards he posted for the Nittany Lions last season.

Lambert-Smith's 510 yards are good for 4th in the SEC, and his six touchdowns are tied for the lead.

ESPN+ ranked the top-50 newcomers across college football which includes freshmen as well as transfers. Lambert-Smith came in at No. 42; he was the only Auburn Tigers representative.

"Lambert-Smith was one of the more proven and coveted players to hit the portal in the spring, and he's well on his way to a career-best year with the Tigers," wrote Eli Lederman and Max Olson on ESPN+. "The 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior ranks fourth in the SEC in receiving yards, turning 24 receptions into 510 yards and six scores. Lambert-Smith had five catches of 50-plus yards during his four years at Penn State and already has four this season in Hugh Freeze's offense."

Lambert-Smith's contributions to the Auburn offense are particularly impressive considering the well-documented struggles the Tigers have faced at quarterback.

Still, being ranked No. 42 in a vacuum doesn't mean much. Is that number justified?

It's hard to compare "impact" across different positions, but looking at the other wide receivers on the list, it's hard not to come to the conclusion Lambert-Smith should be considerably higher.

Ohio State's freshman Jeremiah Smith ranks No. 2 on the list with 553 yards and seven touchdowns, and Alabama's Ryan Williams ranks No. 3 with 576 yards and six touchdowns.

"Impact" is such a subjective word. Does it include national exposure? If it does, it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Smith and Williams are special talents, but they're automatically going to get more national hype playing for Ohio State and Alabama, both team ranked in the top 10.

Make no mistake, this isn't an argument that Smith or Williams should be lower.

A little bit farther down the list is No. 15 Isaiah Bond at Texas. He's 15th despite having 369 yards and three touchdowns. Of course Texas is the No. 1 team in the nation.

I'm starting to see a pattern here.

Checking in at No. 21 is Indiana's Elijah Sarratt. He has 513 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana isn't Texas or Ohio State or Alabama... not in football anyway. But they are 6-0 and one of the Cinderella stories of the season.

Now the argument can be made that Lambert-Smith isn't really having much of an impact at Auburn. Afterall, the Tigers are 2-4. They'd be 2-4 without him. That's the nature of a subjective ranking.

However, it's usually not that deep.

And Lambert-Smith is having a debut season with the Auburn Tigers that stacks up well against four players considerably higher than him on ESPN's list.

Auburn fans and players have suffered through a miserable first-six weeks of the season. The losing record is costing players like Lambert-Smith some national recognition.

The good news for those players is the NFL doesn't care one iota about Auburn's record. They'll actually give Lambert-Smith bonus points in their draft grade for succeeding despite the turmoil surrounding him.

No matter the outside ranking, it's crystal clear Auburn is a better team in 2024 because Lambert-Smith joined the Tigers from the Nittany Lions. His "impact" on the field can be seen right now. The impact he's having on the young receivers in Auburn's program will be felt after he moves on to the NFL.