Last season’s Orange Bowl left a deep scar on Penn State, especially in the receiving aspect. Zero catches from wideouts. Brutally humiliating. And then the Nittany Lions lost WRs Trey Wallace and Omari Evans to the portal. But let’s give James Franklin some credit for trying to not let history repeat itself. The man went aggressive as if on a mission in his transfer portal push for WRs. First came Kyron Hudson from USC, then Troy transfer Devonte Ross. And now? He just pulled another rabbit out of the hat. Syracuse’s Trebor Pena is officially a Nittany Lion.  Uplifting sure, but it’s not all sunshine and roses for Penn State’s WR room though.

Zach Seyko laid it out straight in an episode of Locked on Nittany Lions on April 27. While the perception is that Trebor Pena could be an immediate starter, there are factors that are going to bar this from happening. “I still think there’s going to be a time adjustment,” he pointed out. “You have to bring him in, get him situated because he missed all of spring camp. That’s an opportunity to like I said with Ross and Hudson build chemistry, learn the playbook, get in sync with Drew Allar.”

Summer workouts will help but it takes longer than just one brief season to break into a new program. “It’s not impossible but it’s an uphill battle,” Seyko added. Pena’s going to start in the slot but there’s going to be a learning curve. There’s no going around that. 

Still, it’s hard not to get excited. Trebor Pena dropped a 941-yard, 9-TD season on 84 receptions at Syracuse. Yeah, the Orange loved slinging the football but those numbers pop no matter which system you’re on. The 6’0, 184-pounder is a reliable route runner and understands body positioning like a pro. With one year of eligibility remaining, he’s James Franklin’s highest-rated transfer this offseason. 

Penn State WR coach Marques Hagans even said it himself — “I think the objective is to be the best in the country at every position, and we’re working to become that. And until we become that, then yes, we do need help at receiver.” Pena, Hudson, and Ross. Perhaps not the best in the nation but it better be better than it was last January. Hudson’s the steady hand, Ross brings the speed, and Trebor Pena’s the technician who can get open on anyone. Will this trio wreck the Big Ten? Maybe not, but they absolutely raise the floor especially when you’ve got a QB like Drew Allar who’s still trying to turn raw traits into dominance. 

James Franklin’s QB2 battle heating up behind Drew Allar 

Drew Allar threw for 3,327 yards and 24 TDs last year, and somehow people didn’t spare him. But for now, he’s still the unrivaled starter in his third season in Happy Valley. But the backup job? It’s a full-blown dogfight. James Franklin made it clear that Penn State’s QB battle is about to go “right up to the wire this season.” After the Blue-White game, it looks like Jaxon Smolik might have a slight edge. He was the first guy up after Allar. But we can’t sleep on Ethan Grunkemeyer who the HC is also hyping up. 

Both the competitors are legit. Redshirt sophomore Smolik missed the 2024 season due to an injury but has come back strong. Redshirt freshman Grunkemeyer got a real taste of college football during the playoffs even if it was just two throws. And James Franklin is optimistic. He trusts both enough to throw either into the fire if their QB1 goes down. With the spring portal closed, Zach Seyko feels that the QB room looks very promising — “You have not one but two reliable backups behind Drew Allar… I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a rotation.”

The Nittany Lions also have Broken Kritza and Jack Lambert in the QB room behind the two main QB2 competitors. They’ll open up against Nevada on August 30.