Last season as a redshirt junior, he was suspended twice for missing classes and was among 21 scholarship players left home when Florida State went to the Music City Bowl in the wake of an academic cheating scandal.
After the coaching staff asked Lee to switch to tight end, he decided to forgo his final year of eligibility.
Lee acknowledges making mistakes at Florida State, but he said the request to become a tight end was not the reason he left.
"I didn't do everything possible that I could for me to play and start all three years I was there," he said. "There were a couple other little things that happened, but for the most part, I think I could've done a lot more. That's in the past. ... I can't really go back and change that."
Lee went through his own crisis of confidence during the ordeal.
"Going through that whole situation, I definitely questioned my potential, my ability even to play the position: Am I supposed to be here? Do I deserve to be here?" he said.
"I learned when the chips are down, you can't get down on yourself. You've got to put God first and stay focused and have confidence in yourself."
Lee joined the Ravens for a tryout in May - as a quarterback. He was signed May 15 as a tight end after a series of injuries left the team short-handed at the position.
"He's a sharp kid, he picks things up well," Harman said. "He's got some ball skills, catching the ball. Being a quarterback, he understands routes and how things are supposed to space out."
Harman had to teach Lee the most basic essentials of the position, however: how to get into his stance, how to step to the left and right, where to line up next to the tackle.
Lee said he has made the mental conversion to tight end.
"My thought is to go 100 percent as a tight end," he said. "That's what they brought me here for. I'm going to go [all out], work hard, and whatever happens, happens."ken.murray@baltsun.com
