Overhaul at receiver could play key role in Penn State's 2025 title push

Penn State’s postgame locker room at the Orange Bowl was as somber as you’d expect. No one wanted to talk during the 20-minute period open to the media, and it’s hard to blame them. The Nittany Lions’ memorable season evaporated in a matter of seconds. That mood, that silence in the locker room is something you don’t soon forget.

Penn State didn’t have a catch from a wide receiver in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Penn State nearly beat Notre Dame and nearly played Ohio State for the national title without a reception from a wideout in the biggest game of the year.

In the aftermath of the Orange Bowl, sadness turned to hope. Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and Co. announced they were returning. After Ohio State beat Notre Dame and way-too-early 2025 rankings started trickling out, the Nittany Lions were right back in the national championship conversation.

Penn State had two of the best running backs in the country returning. It had top-tier talent at every level on the defense coming back. It had the star quarterback. But to whom was Allar going to throw the ball?

Coach James Franklin and his support staff set out to correct that problem — to make sure something like the Orange Bowl goose egg never happened again.

On Saturday, Penn State secured what it hopes is the final piece to the puzzle. Syracuse’s Trebor Pena, the top wide receiver in the spring transfer portal, committed shortly before the Blue-White game.

Pena was in attendance, watching from the Beaver Stadium sideline, while fans throughout the stands and the tailgate lots chatted about who he is and what his decision meant.

Pena had an ACC-high 84 catches for a pass-happy Syracuse offense last season. He totaled 941 yards and nine touchdowns, emerging as one of the country’s most reliable wideouts. And now, after a recruitment that saw him consider Miami, USC and others, Pena is a Nittany Lion for his final year of college ball.

In two portal cycles, Penn State completely remade its receiver room. Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans left while Troy’s Devonte Ross and USC’s Kyron Hudson entered in the winter. Ross, a speedster who tallied 1,043 yards and 11 scores last year, is a chess piece at the disposal of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Hudson is a big-bodied vet with a knack for making contested catches. Both impressed in the Blue-White game and should slot in as starters. Add in Pena, and Allar has a new set of targets.

That’s not to gloss over the fact that Tyler Warren is gone. There’s confidence in Khalil Dinkins, Luke Reynolds and the Penn State tight end pipeline. But the Mackey Award winner (and his 104 catches for 1,233 yards) will be difficult to replace. Kotelnicki used Warren, who was drafted No. 14 overall by the Indianapolis Colts, in multiple, sometimes mind-boggling, ways. Warren’s presence and usage also masked a deficiency.

Athletic director Pat Kraft, in an unprompted remark at a February press conference, acknowledged it’s “not a secret” Penn State would be in the market for receiver help in the spring transfer portal. And that was after the additions of Ross and Hudson.

Marques Hagans, Penn State’s wide receivers coach, was asked about Kraft’s comments during spring camp, and he didn’t disagree.

“We could always use help,” Hagans said last month. “The objective is always to be the best in the country at every position. We’re working to become that. And until we become that, yes, we do need help at receiver. We just have to keep building the room the right way, bringing in the right guys, and when the opportunity presents itself, we’ve got to perform at a high level.”

Is Penn State’s receiver room now the best in the country? No. As long as Jeremiah Smith exists and Ohio State continues to churn out first-round talent, that title belongs to the Buckeyes. But in order to not only compete with but beat Ohio State — and ultimately dethrone the reigning champs — Penn State needed to make moves this offseason.

Pena, Ross and Hudson, as well as Tyseer Denmark, Kaden Saunders, Liam Clifford and others, still have to perform. They have to hold up their end of the bargain, and a big summer of development is ahead.

But the problems at receiver were so abundantly clear, and Franklin’s program had to address them.

By doing so — by bringing in Ross, Hudson and, finally, Pena to elevate an already loaded roster — Penn State has put itself in position to truly contend for a national title in 2025.