A reinforcement is on the way at a position of need.
After visiting State College on April 18, former Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Pena has announced his transfer commitment to Penn State via Instagram.
Pena is entering his fifth season playing college football, and in 2024 he had the best of his career. Playing as a primarily slot receiver, he tallied 84 receptions for 941 yards and nine touchdowns, which earned him a second-team All-ACC selection.
He dealt with injuries throughout his career, but finished his time with the Orange having appeared in 41 games and starting in 14 of them. Pena departed from Syracuse with a career statline of 109 catches for 1,212 yards and 10 touchdowns. The receptions put him at No. 14 all-time in program history.
Part of the reason that Pena entered the transfer portal was due to having disputes regarding his NIL, where the reports say he asked for $2 million, where Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said on the radio show Cuse Sports Talk that the only wideout worthy of that is “the lil homie at Ohio State” in reference to Jeremiah Smith.
“We paid him enough. He was going to be paid more,” Brown said. “There were different things that would go there, but there were some numbers that were asked of me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do and move on. Of course, I treat him right, I took care of him. Done everything that was needed. I just said ‘yo, you got to go.’”
Penn State landed two transfer wide receivers during the winter portal window in Kyron Hudson from USC and Devonte Ross from Troy. Despite the two new additions, vice president for intercollegiate athletics Pat Kraft felt the room still needed to be strengthened.
“We all need wide receiver help,” Kraft said in February.
Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans matched that sentiment.
“We could always use help. I think the objective is to be the best in the country at every position, and we’re working to become that,” Hagans said earlier in the month. “And until we become that, then yes, we do need help at receiver. So, we just got to keep building the room the right way, bringing in the right guys, and then when the opportunity presents, we just have to perform at a high level.”
With the acquisition of Pena, there might be some turnover to the current room. The top of the depth chart currently projects to have Hudson, Ross, Liam Clifford, Kaden Saunders and Tyseer Denmark in the mix for snaps.
“We gotta find guys who love football and guys who are tough,” Hagans said. “Excuse my language, just tough as s—, like every day. Like, if we played football in the parking lot and you rolled the football out and we were gonna tackle, they wouldn’t give a s—. They just line up and play.”
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