Nittany Lions add former Baylor RB John Lovett

The off-season is off to a fast start for the Nittany Lion football program.

Announced via Twitter Monday afternoon, Penn State will welcome transfer running back John Lovett, a four-year contributor and starter out of Baylor University.

A Paul Hornung Award Watch Lister ahead of the 2020 season, Lovett started five games for the Bears this past season, picking up 130 yards and a touchdown on 45 carries on top of nine receptions for 49 yards and another score. Though he played in each of Baylor's first four games and again in a win against Kansas State to round out November, he missed action against Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all due to injury. He had just two touches against TCU on Halloween night before leaving due to injury and wouldn't appear again until nearly a month later, then missed the final two games with injury.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lovett graded out at 66.3 as a rusher during the 2020 season. His 2019 season was his best, earning an 83.0 overall offensive grade, which was third-best in the Big 12 for running backs. He also ranked 17th overall out of the 88 Power Five running backs that carried the ball 100 times or more in 2019.

His performance in the NCAA's free year of eligibility built atop a productive career that saw him rise up Baylor's all-time rushing leader chart. Playing in 37 career games his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, Lovett finished his career rushing for 1,803 yards, 183 yards through the air, and another 283 yards as a kick return man, scoring 18 total touchdowns in the process.

Given the forced early retirement of Journey Brown, Lovett becomes the fifth scholarship running back in Penn State's program ahead of the 2021 season. He'll have one season of eligibility remaining. Noah Cain, Devyn Ford, Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes are all expected to return for the 2021 season. It should be noted that Cain has suffered injuries the past two seasons, missing basically all of 2020.

Listed as an athlete in high school, Lovett was offered by the Nittany Lions his senior year, and he did attend a game in Beaver Stadium in 2016. A three-star prospect from New Jersey, he earned over a dozen scholarship offers, and at one point was committed to Rutgers. Lovett ultimately took official visits to Iowa, Michigan State, Rutgers and Tennessee before committing to Baylor a few days before National Signing Day.

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