Penn State’s Trebor Pena Clears Feelings on Fran Brown’s Syracuse After $2M Demand Triggered Tough Transfer Decision

When Fran Brown came to the Syracuse Orange at the start of the 2024 season, the program was reeling from the mistakes that happened in Dino Babers’ era. There was so much to do and so much to alter. But the former UGA DC didn’t take long to find his rhythm. In less than a month, Brown signed one of the best classes of Syracuse’s modern era and registered his arrival with a thumping win over Georgia Tech and the Ohio Bobcats. The new head coach led the team to a 10-3 overall finish. But amidst all the recruiting moves and on-field heroics, the incredible rise of Syracuse’s homegrown wide receiver, Trebor Pena, was remarkable under Brown.

The 6-foot and 184 lbs wide receiver joined as an underrated 3-star prospect and was ranked 49th in his position when he joined in 2020. Pena red-shirted in his freshman year and later produced just 272 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022 combined; moreover, his 2023 season was marred by injuries. His rise was never on the cards under Dino Babers, as he was at most a depth piece under him. But all that changed when Brown joined the team.

The wide receiver now looked like a different player altogether as he notched up more than 900 receiving yards along with 72 rushing yards under Brown. Also, who can forget his performance against Miami, where the wide receiver received 125 yards and helped Kyle McCord seal the win with 380 impressive yards. The wide receiver was thriving under Jeff Nixon’s pro-style, pass-heavy offense, and the future looked bright for the wide receiver at Syracuse.

But all of this changed when the player decided to enter the transfer portal this spring and now has finally joined Penn State under James Franklin. The player cleared the air regarding his time spent with Fran Brown and Syracuse. “I came out as a man because I spent 5 years there, and it really changed me, and  I had a lot of ups and downs over there, but I don’t regret anything I did. I’m happy I did my time there. It’s just I feel like that chapter’s closed and it’s time to start the next one.”

Well, joining Penn State, the player will be entering a receiver room that looks quite new, with several new faces around. After the departures of players like Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans, the Penn State head coach dived deep into the portal. The head coach has roped in wide receiver talent in Kyron Hudson from the Trojans and Devonte Ross from the Troy Trojans. Now, the addition of Trebor Pena gives incredible depth and quality in the receiver room, with players like Liam Clifford and Kyron Hudson already returning. However, Pena’s transfer wasn’t smooth, considering the drama that followed.

All’s not smooth between Trebor Pena and Fran Brown?

Well, as discussed earlier, Pena was a crucial piece in Syracuse’s offense, and thus keeping him would have been a top priority for Fran Brown. But at what expense? The NIL demand that Pena presented became a point of contention between Brown and Pena’s representatives, and that eventually led to Pena transferring to Penn State. Brown, in a recent statement, mentioned nearly $2 million in NIL money demanded by the now-Penn State wide receiver.

“There were some numbers that were asked to me that I didn’t feel like I could do. We paid him enough. He was going to get paid more. But there were some numbers that were asked of me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do everything that was needed. I just said, ‘Yo, you’ve got to go’ [Tuesday] morning.” Brown also said that the wide receiver was skeptical about the new QB, Rickie Collins Jr, after McCord’s departure to the Eagles in the NFL. This is something that didn’t sit right with Brown, and then the negotiations might have only spiraled downwards.

“How do you know Rickie’s gonna be good? He’s super talented but like, would he be good next year and not this year?. That ain’t your freaking job to be thinking that. I ain’t got time for you to be doing all that stuff. … When they start trying to do your job and think too much, you’ve got to go. It’s no point in them being there.” Brown said in a radio interview with ESPN.

The NIL is something that coaches need to wade through every time the portal window opens. There will be some teams who would be willing to pay the player that you wouldn’t, and that’s why all these breakdowns happen. We also saw the same happening with Nico Iamaleava, and now it’s Pena. Maybe coaches should learn something from Kalen DeBoer, who has managed to keep every player from the transfer portal with zero players leaving this spring.

The post Penn State’s Trebor Pena Clears Feelings on Fran Brown’s Syracuse After $2M Demand Triggered Tough Transfer Decision appeared first on EssentiallySports.