Trebor Pena transferring to PSU

[NKR1978]

He flashed every time he got on the field from Freshman year. To me a punt returner is always a baller.

I remember him muffing one and maybe wrote him off after.

 

[sufandu]

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but couldn't we have said that about Pena going into last year? He was oft injured, but I remember not being super high on him going into the season.

Injuries were his problem but he made plays when he played.

 

[Consigliere]

Hatcher is my WR I think can play his way into getting drafted or a preferred UDFA.

Story on Umari. When his class enrolled at Syracuse, my next door neighbor was assistant strength coach Sean Teter (now director of sports performance at Stephen Austin). Sean told me the staff felt he had by far the highest upside of the incoming receivers and that included OG. But Hatcher was allergic to the weight room and never developed the upper body strength he needs to fight for 50-50 balls and make contested catches.

On the bright side, if he did develop, then he likely would have held on to that pass deep in Boston College territory as time was running down in the 2023 game instead of allowing the DB to rip the ball out of his arms. That would have likely led to beating BC, going on to win seven games instead of six and Dino would still be Coach!

Maybe we should be commissioning a statue for Umari!

 

[kcsu]

I'd be completely shocked if this happened. He has all the ability but he doesn't have the aggressiveness that would get him to the next level.

I actually think the opposite is going to happen and some of the younger guys on the depth chart pass him.

He will get passed by based on what i have seen.

 

[anomander]

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but couldn't we have said that about Pena going into last year? He was oft injured, but I remember not being super high on him going into the season.

Id be thrilled if he put up even half the numbers Peña did last year but you can kind of tell he’s not that type of player. He’s one of the better blocking WR’s we’ve had in a while, but he has terrible hands. Never want a WR with that being their best trait. I think he’s had plenty of chances to take on a big roll in the offense, but just doesn’t have those capabilities. I kind of will be surprised if he even plays that much.

 

[PhatOrange]

Story on Umari. When his class enrolled at Syracuse, my next door neighbor was assistant strength coach Sean Teter (now director of sports performance at Stephen Austin). Sean told me the staff felt he had by far the highest upside of the incoming receivers and that included OG. But Hatcher was allergic to the weight room and never developed the upper body strength he needs to fight for 50-50 balls and make contested catches.

On the bright side, if he did develop, then he likely would have held on to that pass deep in Boston College territory as time was running down in the 2023 game instead of allowing the DB to rip the ball out of his arms. That would have likely led to beating BC, going on to win seven games instead of six and Dino would still be Coach!

Maybe we should be commissioning a statue for Umari!

Unless he goes into anaphylactic shock I'm pretty certain he'd have no choice about being in the weight room and following the schedule.

 

[imdevo]

Unless he goes into anaphylactic shock I'm pretty certain he'd have no choice about being in the weight room and following the schedule.

It's crazy to see the S&C impact has had in our sports the last 15+ years. Non existent.

 

[capeorange]

It's crazy to see the S&C impact has had in our sports the last 15+ years. Non existent.

It almost seems like it was voluntary.

 

[PhatOrange]

It almost seems like it was voluntary.

For the basketball team I'd agree

 

[ImperialOrange]

He flashed every time he got on the field from Freshman year. To me a punt returner is always a baller.

I don't think he ever flashed elite athleticism, moreso he was just better than anything we had over the years next to him. I hope for his sake I'm wrong and he is in fact the 7th best WR which would put him 1st or second round draft pick... but also his replacements will be MUCH faster and I can't imagine Pena having a good time working open against OSU, UM, etc

 

[JRHEETER]

Unless he goes into anaphylactic shock I'm pretty certain he'd have no choice about being in the weight room and following the schedule.

Not for the "voluntary" weight room sessions where no coaches are allowed to be present.

 

[bnoro]

I don't think he ever flashed elite athleticism, moreso he was just better than anything we had over the years next to him. I hope for his sake I'm wrong and he is in fact the 7th best WR which would put him 1st or second round draft pick... but also his replacements will be MUCH faster and I can't imagine Pena having a good time working open against OSU, UM, etc

Not elite athleticism but elite body control and fluidity, which was evident from his punt returning. This translates into strong route running, which can get him open more than a 4.4 40 can.

Speed isn't everything.

 

[cusefan88]

Not elite athleticism but elite body control and fluidity, which was evident from his punt returning. This translates into strong route running, which can get him open more than a 4.4 40 can.

Speed isn't everything.

Cooper Kupp is a great example. Ran a 4.6 40 at the combine but his short-burst and directional ability made him one of the best.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Not elite athleticism but elite body control and fluidity, which was evident from his punt returning. This translates into strong route running, which can get him open more than a 4.4 40 can.

Speed isn't everything.

Not everything but it's plenty. With OG, LA and Meeks pulling coverage towards them it's a lot easier to work a 4.6 open in space. Pena is a WR 2/3 and that's fine... no one is taking him over Travis Hunter though

 

[upperdeck]

Play design and QB trust are huge when you are not the elite WR who just beats coverages.

Many of the biggest plays last year were Pena doing his job and McCord trusting he would be there and letting it rip to that spot. Thats hard to build, and not every QB/WR combo works.

We ran many plays last year where we forced coverages into locations to create throwing windows. Then the QB trusted Pena or Meeks or OG would beat it to the spot they wanted to throw to.

We find out this year how much the system works if the QB is just a little bit less talented.

You can always force the 50/50 ball when the WR wins that matchup so often. When they don't then it becomes more on making correct decisions with the ball.

We need the running game to be better, so we don't have to pass 40x a game when we don't want to.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Play design and QB trust are huge when you are not the elite WR who just beats coverages.

Many of the biggest plays last year were Pena doing his job and McCord trusting he would be there and letting it rip to that spot. Thats hard to build, and not every QB/WR combo works.

We ran many plays last year where we forced coverages into locations to create throwing windows. Then the QB trusted Pena or Meeks or OG would beat it to the spot they wanted to throw to.

We find out this year how much the system works if the QB is just a little bit less talented.

You can always force the 50/50 ball when the WR wins that matchup so often. When they don't then it becomes more on making correct decisions with the ball.

We need the running game to be better, so we don't have to pass 40x a game when we don't want to.

State Penn do not have a McCord under center and Pena isn't a 50:50 guy. I hope he excels in every game, while losing every game, but moreover I hope he avoids life altering injuries when Allar repeatedly hangs him out to dry

 

[cayugacuse]

State Penn do not have a McCord under center and Pena isn't a 50:50 guy. I hope he excels in every game, while losing every game, but moreover I hope he avoids life altering injuries when Allar repeatedly hangs him out to dry

Allar connected on 66.5% of his passes last year with a new OC and is generally considered a 1st round pick by many analysts. He also played in the big 10. Pretty good conference. Believe me, I am a huge McCord fan and a fan of your posts. I just think Allar may be getting a little disrespected in this case.

 

[wfschrec]

Allar connected on 66.5% of his passes last year with a new OC and is generally considered a 1st round pick by many analysts. He also played in the big 10. Pretty good conference. Believe me, I am a huge McCord fan and a fan of your posts. I just think Allar may be getting a little disrespected in this case.

Allar has accuracy issues masked by throwing to his running backs and an all world TE in Warren. He didn’t complete a single pass to a wideout in his bowl loss … you will never be able to say that about McCord.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Allar connected on 66.5% of his passes last year with a new OC and is generally considered a 1st round pick by many analysts. He also played in the big 10. Pretty good conference. Believe me, I am a huge McCord fan and a fan of your posts. I just think Allar may be getting a little disrespected in this case.

Short throws pump the completion percentage Ala Tommy Guns. He doesn't throw down field very well which honestly could be why Pena was such a big want for them. If was getting 1st round grades he shouldn't have returned and should be in an NFL camp currently.

I watched fair amount of Penn State games last year at Saturday get togethers and he just doesn't have it. Penn State fans I watched with shared the sentiment so not just my orange tinted glasses I don't believe. Same as the kid that played QB at UGA last year. Tons of hype, not the end product to match. I've been wrong before though so who knows at this point.

Appreciate the kind words, likewise always enjoy reading your takes.

 

[bnoro]

Allar has accuracy issues masked by throwing to his running backs and an all world TE in Warren. He didn’t complete a single pass to a wideout in his bowl loss … you will never be able to say that about McCord.

McCord threw a lot to RBs and an all world TE in Gadsden. As well as two elite WRs in Meeks/Pena.

I hate to defend Penn State and Allar but this is crazy.

 

[JKinUtah]

who cares...he gone

 

[cayugacuse]

who cares...he gone

This is a new age. The portal, NIL, 105 scholarships. Pena was here 5 + years. He represented SU well. Stuck around when things went south. I love coach Brown. Very sad it had to get dirty.

 

[wfschrec]

McCord threw a lot to RBs and an all world TE in Gadsden. As well as two elite WRs in Meeks/Pena.

I hate to defend Penn State and Allar but this is crazy.

Warren had 104 receptions their second highest was a wideout at 46 followed by a RB at 41. The top 2 receivers at Syracuse based on reception count were Pena and Meeks.

Syracuse Receptions (top 5):
Pena - 84 (WR)
Meeks - 78 (WR)
Gadsden - 73 (TE)
Allen - 64 (RB)
Gill - 31 (WR)

Penn State Receptions (top 4):
Warren - 104 (TE)
Wallace - 46 (WR)
Singleton - 41 (RB)
Evans - 21 (WR)

If you can't see the different I don't know what to tell you other than you must love Penn State and never watched Allar play. Allar's distribution is terrible and the fact that he couldn't complete a single pass to a wideout in a PLAYOFF game speaks volumes.

When Julian Fleming was at Ohio State in 2022 he snagged 34 passes for 533 yards in 11 games, playing with McCord in 12 games with a LOADED WR room he still pulled in 26 balls for 270 yards. At PSU he played in 16 games and hauled in a mighty 14 catches for 176 yards.

 

[rhcuse]

Allar has not shined brightly. He is not a dude.

Prolly some of it is their offensive design, but still.

 

[shu 49]

I don't think he ever flashed elite athleticism, moreso he was just better than anything we had over the years next to him. I hope for his sake I'm wrong and he is in fact the 7th best WR which would put him 1st or second round draft pick... but also his replacements will be MUCH faster and I can't imagine Pena having a good time working open against OSU, UM, etc

Its not that He can blow bye everyone as much as he can tork his body to make any catch. He has elite catching ability and honestly all u need with good speed. Edelmen type receiver