First, Penn State had to lock in its quarterback for 2025, and now with Drew Allar committed to playing his senior season in Happy Valley, James Franklin can go ahead addressing the rest of the offense around his superstar, and he didn’t waste any time. On Monday night, the same day that the news of Allar’s return broke, Penn State landed USC transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson from the transfer portal, the first offseason portal addition for Franklin and his staff.
The Nittany Lions got an up-close look at their new teammate for 2025 this season. In Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win out in LA, Hudson had four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown, one of three he scored in Lincoln Riley’s offense in 2024. Hudson finished his junior season with 38 catches for 462 yards and has one year of eligibility left to use at Penn State.
Last season, Franklin saw KeAndre Lambert-Smith, his team’s No. 1 receiver in 2023, leave for Auburn after Penn State’s Peach Bowl loss, and he failed to properly replace him on the roster. Julian Fleming, Penn State’s only wide receiver addition last offseason, finished the year with just 14 catches as tight end Tyler Warren emerged as the primary pass-catcher for Allar, partially because of his immense talent, and partially out of necessity. Even with Harrison Wallace III healthy for nearly the entire year, the Nittany Lions were routinely outmatched on the outside against top competition, and the lack of talent at wide receiver could hold the program back from its first national championship since 1982 with the 12-team CFP looming.
Warren’s inevitable departure for the NFL only compounds the need for talented receivers, so while Hudson is a significant addition, he can’t be the only incoming portal receiver this offseason. Still, this addition does solve one of the offense’s biggest problems: trust.
One of the biggest criticisms of Allar throughout his two years as Penn State’s starting quarterback has been his lack of downfield aggressiveness. That risk-averse mentality has helped prevent turnovers but has also limited the passing game against good defenses, though it’s not an entirely unfounded philosophy. The Big Ten Championship Game is the most recent example. Trailing by one score late, Allar took a shot down the sideline to Wallace, and the 50/50 ball was intercepted, ending the promising comeback attempt.
Hudson isn’t the biggest-bodied receiver at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, but in 2024 he came down with 12 of his 23 contest catch opportunities, the 22nd most contest catches in the country, and the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Franklin still needs to provide Allar with a receiver who can reliably separate downfield, but if nobody is open, at least Allar can trust Hudson to make a play on the ball in tight coverage, something the offense desperately needs.