“Yo, you got to go.” That’s what Syracuse HC Fran Brown told his former WR Trebor Pena when the latter transferred out. But what is one’s loss is always another’s win. James Franklin picked him up quickly, and Pena is fitting right in with the Nittany Lions. In a WR room that performed terribly last season, the promising WR looks like a viable solution as Franklin & Co. advance into 2025. The coaches are all keen on Pena displaying his talents as a Nittany Lion. He already published a breakout season with Syracuse last year.
Last year, James Franklin’s wide receiver room was pretty much empty because many of their top receivers transferred out in 2024. Trebor Pena is one of three key transfers—along with Kyron Hudson and DeVonte Ross—who are stepping in to shake things up. During his last season at Syracuse, Pena had an impressive 84 catches for 941 yards and 9 touchdowns. Franklin’s focus was all about “production, not projection” when looking for new talent in the transfer portal.
Pena sure is a huge loss for Brown, who expected the WR to take center stage this year. At Happy Valley, OC Andy Kotelnicki implied that the promising WR is thriving. Nittany Lions Sports quoted him from a presser on June 5 saying, “I think he’s got tremendous ball skills. I think he’s really quick. He’s twitchy, does a great job. I think when he’s had evidence of having the ball in his hand, that’s on film, he’s making things happen with it. I think he’s a very mature person. Obviously, he’s been in college for a while now, and he’s gotten a lot of good reps. But those [are the] kind of things we’re looking for from him.” It’s been 3 weeks since Pena arrived on campus, after spring ball. And he will surely be a constant presence in PSU’s playing rosters this season.
“We like to be diverse with our skill players. I really appreciate how he had some of that already. He’s used to lining up in different spots and doing a couple different things. That transition will be a little easier for him,” Kotelnicki said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports. Pena was among the country’s best receivers in the deep center, earning an impeccable 97.7 rating from Pro Football Focus for working in that area.
The receiver comes with a troubling career, missing out in 2021 and 2023 due to injuries. But the resilience bore him fruit, paying him off for his hard work in 2024. He’ll be under quite the scrutiny this year for how he pairs with Drew Allar, considering how well he worked with McCord.
The QB, who ended PSU’s hopes at a shot at the National Championship with a costly mistake, is also gearing up to unleash his strength.
Andy Kotelnicki makes a strong claim about Drew Allar’s health
“It’s A to Z now. Before, it was just kind of A to M,” Kotelnicki said about the star QB1’s development. Allar made waves with his 2023 season, especially after tallying just two interceptions against his 25 TDs and 2,631 passing yards. In 2024, that number rose to 8. In the brutal semi-final game last year, the QB led the team to a 24-24 tied score with 47 seconds left in play. Unfortunately, Notre Dame’s Christian Gray intercepted a throw meant for Omari Evans and ended PSU’s run to the National Championship then and there. Now, he’s touted by experts to compete for the Heisman. The development has come in not just game-wise, but also physically, noted Kotelnicki.
“Ask him to flex next time you see him,” Kotelnicki said when asked about how Allar looks compared to January. “You’ll see. He almost caught me. Almost as good-looking as I am.” Allar actually shows all-around development now that he is emerging as a true leader. “We can do all that stuff, because Drew allows us to do that stuff,” Kotelnicki noted. “He’s got a big brain, and he loves football and all the things that are required to be the quarterback. But then his understanding of where the ball’s going and why, his coachability, has really started to take off.”
Allar could have declared for the draft for this year. Now that he will play his last year of eligibility, his stocks for the pro league are bound to reach new heights. Few programs look as primed as Penn State to win the National Championship this year. Will Trebor Pena and Drew Allar finally allow James Franklin his long-awaited dream of winning that title?
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