With the news of Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena committing to Penn State, the full revamp of the wide receiver group seems to be complete. Now it begs the question of how will quarterback Drew Allar be distributing the ball? Who will be his top target? Let’s examine who Allar’s top targets in 2025 could be.
#1 DeVonte Ross (Z-WR)
When we all really got introduced to Allar against West Virginia in Week 1 in 2023 when Allar connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 72-yard touchdown. That splash play epitomizes what Allar likes to do most with the football: push the ball down field.
There’s a good chance the chemistry that Allar and Ross will have over the summer will pay dividends in the fall. Keep in mind, Ross had a monster game against Iowa, where he led all Trojans receivers with seven receptions for 142 yards receiving, plus had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown, the first Iowa surrendered since Christian McCaffrey in 2016 Rose Bowl.
Last season, Ross became Troy’s sixth player to secure 1,000 or more receiving yards in a season and looks to be Penn State’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Jahan Dotson accomplished that feat in 2021.
#2 Trebor Pena (SLOT)
There was a temptation for me to put Luke Reynolds here, but I feel the lionshare of targets Tyler Warren got last season was due to lack of an effective SLOT receiver.
This is also a situation Pena got accustomed to last season in Syracuse. With a pass heavy offense, Jackson Meeks was the 1,000 yard receiver, Oronde Gadsden II at tight end was in the mix and commanded attention in the center of the field and Pena served as a SLOT with a sophisticated route tree that got him open and targeted often.
With Andy Kotelnicki being as creative as he is, Pena should thrive in this system and be able to exploit space and be a reliable valve for Allar. I expect Pena to lead the Penn State in receptions.
#3 Luke Reynolds (TE1)
The allure of pushing Reynolds to Allar’s No. 2 was real. Last season, Allar developed a chemistry with Warren that helped lead Warren to a Mackey Award-winning season and rewrote Penn State’s receiving record book.
The Best: Penn State TE Tyler Warren School’s 1st Mackey Award Winner
With how Penn State emphasizes the use of tight ends, I expect a volume play to Reynolds this season that will early have Reynolds be near the top of Allar’s top targets. But I feel as the wide receivers evolve, Reynolds will sink a bit but not too far.
I also feel Reynolds will have some opportunities taken by Khalil Dinkins (TE2) at the goalline and in short yardage situations.
#4 Nicholas Singleton (RB1)
Out of all the top targets Allar will have here in my top five, Singleton has the longest rapport with him.
In Kotelnicki’s attack, he loves to leverage a dynamic running back in the passing game not just vertically but also horizontally and that’s where Singleton flourishes.
Singleton has finished in the top four in Penn State receiving stats the last two seasons, so this isn’t uncharted territory for him. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Kyron Hudson finishes ahead of Singleton in receptions, either. But I do feel Singleton will be used a lot in various screens or wheel routes. The speed Singleton flashed at the Spring Game has been in top gear and that’s a high percentage situation both Kotelnicki and Allar want to leverage with some regularity.
#5 Kyron Hudson (X-WR)
What plagued USC’s wide receivers throughout 2024 was a chronic case of the drops. That case didn’t impact Hudson. He had zero drops in 64 total targets.
It seems I’m marginalizing Hudson as the No. 3 WR and No. 5 target overall. But I’m not. I feel Hudson’s 6’2”, 220-pound frame is going to be leveraged in high-traffic areas and areas of physicality.
Hudson’s sure hands will make him popular. If Hudson does finish higher on my projection, I expect either Singleton or the tight end group dropping to No. 4 or No. 5 respectively. The only time in the James Franklin era that Penn State had its top three receptions leaders be all wide receivers was in 2021 when Dotson, Lambert-Smithand Parker Washington achieved the feat.
