The high expectations that circulated the Penn State program before the opening of the spring transfer window have only advanced after its closure. James Franklin answered the calls to grow two of his most questionable positions, signing wide receiver Trebor Pena and linebacker Amare Campbell, who were officially added to the Nittany Lions’ 2025 roster on Tuesday.
It’s suddenly become a difficult task to find a hole within Franklin’s roster. Penn State has returned key starters, such as quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, while adding plug-and-play talent from the portal. The Nittany Lions have been in the conversation for the preseason No. 1 ranking, and for good reason.
Allar won’t only have his two primary ball carriers back for a fourth and final year. He’ll work behind an offensive line set to return four of five starters from last season’s team that went to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Allar has now also been gifted a flashy new target in Pena, a second-team All-ACC selection at Syracuse this past year.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Pena becomes a focal point of an almost completely revamped receiving corps, one that has notably struggled since the 2023 season. A quick and speedy weapon like Pena should fit into the slot and complement fellow transfers Devonte Ross (Troy) and Kyron Hudson (USC), as well as a freshman class that includes some promising pieces.
After Allar failed to complete a pass to a wide receiver in Penn State’s Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 9, it was made clear that Franklin would have to immediately rebuild the position for any chance at winning a national championship in 2025. So, he did just that, and only kept adding once his linebacker depth thinned during spring practice.
Campbell, at 6-foot and 230 pounds, will fill the void at middle linebacker left by Kobe King, now with the Minnesota Vikings. This position had been under question since King’s departure, and concerns only grew after Ta’Mere Robinson surprised coaches by transferring to USC in April.
Robinson was in the mix to fill King’s shoes alongside second-year Anthony Speca and Keon Wylie, who has returned from an injury that left him sidelined for last season’s entirety. With returning starter Tony Rojas injured and limited during spring practice, adding another competent linebacker to polish the position’s depth was a must.
Campbell, who registered 76 tackles (45 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks across 13 starts at North Carolina this past year, answered the call.
Jim Knowles is likely to base out of a 4-2-5 defense with two linebackers and five defensive backs in his first season as the program’s defensive coordinator, and Campbell should rotate with Rojas and Dominic DeLuca atop the Nittany Lions’ depth chart this fall. Speca, Wylie, DaKarri Nelson and Kari Jackson are also poised to fit into the equation.
LaVar Arrington II and Alex Tatsch could ultimately compete for playing time, as well as summer-enrollee Cam Smith. But as true freshmen, their abilities to immediately perform against Big Ten competition remains somewhat unclear.
There’s nothing uncertain about the readiness of Pena or Campbell. They’ve each performed glowingly over difficult power conference schedules, and will be asked to do much of the same for a team with national title aspirations. Franklin’s work in the transfer portal is done. Now comes the challenging part: using his pieces to win games and ultimately make history.
