Penn State had already bolstered its receivers room before Trebor Pena entered the transfer portal but James Franklin and the coaching staff wanted more.
When a team loses a College Football Playoff semifinal by three points and no receiver catching a pass on the game is a big reason why, yeah, that team is going to want more.
It’s easy to see why, for Penn State, more ended up being spelled Trebor.
Playing at Syracuse against Power Four competition, Pena put up 941 yards and nine touchdowns on 84 receptions in 2024 earning All-ACC status.
Those credentials were the first thing that jumped out to Franklin.
“Production matters,” Franklin said.
Indeed, it does.
So does experience, and Pena’s has plenty of that, which Franklin values big-time.
“He’s also a sixth-year guy,”
Franklin said. “I look at college football a little but like college basketball was a few years back where a winning formula includes being a mature team. There’s a lot of value that comes from that.”
“Then we got a chance to get to know him, his mom – who is awesome – and his girlfriend. They seem like great fits here. He’s also from the footprint (New York City), which helps.”
Franklin also debunked a theory as to why Pena left Syracuse.
FORGET ABOUT THE PRICE TAG
Syracuse coach Fran Brown had a theory as to why Pena left.
“We paid him enough,” Brown said. “He was going to get paid more. There were some numbers that were asked to me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do and move on,” Brown said in an interview with ESPN Syracuse. “I treated him right, did everything that was needed, and I just said, ‘Yo, you got to go.'”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.For Franklin, that doesn’t line up with Penn State’s experience with Pena.
“None of the stuff that was put out publicly was true about how his transfer took place and why it took place,” Franklin said. “None of that was true as it relates to Penn State based on our experience. They were non-factors.”
PENA’S STRENGTHS
So what does Pena do well?
“He has an elite change of direction,” Penn State OC Andy Kotelnicki said. “He has really good ball skills. He does really good things with the ball afterwards.
“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.”
Although Pena has the stats, he also had to earn the respect of his teammates, and he’s done that by putting his head down.
“He’s just come in and worked,” wide receivers coach Marques Hagans said. “He’s starting to earn the respect of his peers by how he works, how he approaches things and how he prepares. He’s really been a good addition to the room and a great example, too.”
Penn State opens its 2025 season Aug. 30 at 3:30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium.
