By hosting Syracuse transfer wide receiver Trebor Pena for a visit on Friday, James Franklin has all but admitted that the Nittany Lions have not solved their wide receiver woes. Penn State struggled to field reliable weapons for Drew Allar on its run to the College Football Playoff Semifinal last season, and despite a complete overhaul after no wide receivers caught a pass in that Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame, the position is still a weakness in Happy Valley.
Pena is an enticing option, a veteran slot receiver who could make a significant impact from Day 1, but with USC transfer Kyron Hudson and Troy transfer Devonte Ross, the Nittany Lions' likely starters on the outside, both entering their final seasons of collegiate eligibility, Franklin may need a more long-term solution.
Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class featured three wide receivers and three tight ends, who could be the influx of pass-catching talent that the program so desperately needs, but none of those players are as highly-regarded as former five-stars Micah Hudson and Hykeem Williams, who put their names back on the market this spring.
Penn State should target Micah Hudson and Hykeem Williams
Micah Hudson was a huge addition for Joey McGuire at Texas Tech in the 2024 recruiting class, but after a true freshman season with just eight catches for 123 yards, the 6-foot-195-pound receiver transferred to Texas A&M in the winter cycle. Now, he’s back in the portal, which is certainly a red flag, but one that Penn State should consider looking past, considering its own lack of talent at the position.
Hudson has emerged as a potential fit with Utah, but with three years of eligibility remaining, he could be the multi-year fit the Nittany Lions are after. Hudson’s first season was underwhelming, but a high-pedigree swing may not be the worst idea, especially if he comes at a bargain compared to his NIL price out of high school or in the winter cycle.
Hykeem Williams has a bit of a longer track record than Hudson. The only composite five-star of the Mike Norvell era at Florida State so far, Williams caught just 16 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown as a sophomore. With two years of eligibility, Williams does not have the same developmental runway that Hudson is afforded, but the athletic 6-foot-2, 215-pound target could make an instant impact for Allar next season and help bridge the gap to either Ethan Grunkemeyer or Jaxon Smolik as the starting QB in the 2026-27 campaign.
Neither Hudson nor Williams has lived up to their five-star potential, and it's certainly a dangerous game to hold too tightly to preconceived notions about a player when they were a high school prospect. However, Penn State is all-in on winning a national championship this season, and taking a big swing on a highly-touted young wide receiver could be the very thing that gets Franklin’s group over the hump while not being another one-year stop-gap at the position.