Penn State notes: Where are the Lions in a post-spring top 25? Trebor Pena officially signs

Penn State is in the top five of On3 national college football writer Andy Staples’ post-spring top 25. The Nittany Lions were No. 4 in Staples’ way-too-early top 25 in January. And, they hold the same spot after going through 15 practices following Saturday’s Blue-White game.

“Transfer receivers Kyron Hudson (USC), Devonte Ross (Troy) and Trebor Pena (added this past weekend from Syracuse) probably will decide whether the Nittany Lions are national title contenders or a really good team that makes the College Football Playoff but doesn’t make it until the end,” Staples writes.

“Because Penn State has just about everything else. The Nittany Lions lost the aforementioned Allen to Clemson and replaced him with Jim Knowles, who was last seen helping Ohio State win a national title.”

Texas, Notre Dame, and Clemson occupy the Nos. 1-3 spots. Ohio State rounds out the top five. Penn State opponents who made the cut include Oregon at No. 6, Nebraska at No. 22, and Iowa at No. 25. Indiana made Staples’ list of the first five teams out.

Penn State opens the 2025 season opposite Nevada on Aug. 30. A kick time is not yet set

“We got a ton of work done this spring, obviously, with Coach Knowles, that foundation that we laid was very, very important,” Lions coach James Franklin said Saturday. “I feel good about that and where we’re at. We got a ton of work to do between now and Nevada. And on top of that, we got t be intentional about our work. Every single one of us has got to be intentional about our work between now and training camp.”

Penn State officially signs Trebor Pena

Penn State picked up its first spring transfer portal window commitment on Saturday when former Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena picked the Lions. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Monday morning that the New Jersey native has now officially signed with the program. Asked about Pena after the Blue-White game, Franklin declined to discuss Pena specifically but did discuss his receivers room as a whole.

“I was pleased with what we did this spring in the passing game,” Franklin said. “Was also pleased with the wide receivers, not only the ones that have been on our roster, and their development. I think you guys saw Tyseer [Denmark] make some plays today which was great, too. Then, obviously, you got your first look at [Kyron] Hudson and [Devonte] Ross, both of which have very bright futures.

“We’re trying to create as much competition at every position as we possibly can, that is the nature of this level of college football. We embrace it as coaches and the players embrace it as well.”