Penn State had everything last season; they had Drew Allar, who lit up scenes with his 3,327 passing yards performance. Then they had one of the best running back rooms in the country, which together rushed for 2,454 yards. Heck, they even had one of the best tight ends in college football last year in Tyler Warren, who alone received 1,233 yards. Yet, despite a playoff berth, James Franklin couldn’t withstand Marcus Freeman’s brilliance in the Orange Bowl. What seemed to be the problem? If everything was perfect, then how could a team with such firepower fall short?

Penn State fans might have heard this more times than they care to count. But their receiving corps was the unit that disappointed throughout the season. And in that Orange Bowl, they didn’t even gather a single catch, and that says a lot about why Penn State couldn’t make it to the final against Ohio State. Also, even if they did, what was the guarantee that Penn State would have won against Ryan Day when they lost their home game against him in the regular season? But enough about the dreading nostalgia. This year, Penn State has a secret weapon, and he looks to alleviate these woes.

Tyler Donohue and Tom Fornelli of 247 Sports sat in the June 4th Episode of ‘CBS Sports’ and discussed their predictions about Penn State’s 2025 season. The duo not only remained optimistic about James Franklin’s 2025 season but also shed light on the 3 new wide receivers who would be the game changers of the season. But ultimately, Fornelli picked one among the three to stand out.

“More interesting one of the three to me is Hudson coming from USC because he gives the Penn State offense something I feel like it lacked last season, and that he’s 6’2. He’s going to be playing the X-receiver on the outside, and he gives them something of a vertical threat down the sidelines, which is how USC used him,” said Tom Fornelli. The receiver Fornelli is talking about is Kyron Hudson, but is he as good as Fornelli advertises?

Penn State brought in Kyron Hudson from Troy, who received 462 yards last season for USC. Joining him are two more talented transfers, Devonte Ross, who fetched 1,043 yards for Troy, and Trebor Pena, coming from Syracuse after a 941 receiving yard season. All three all incredible players in their own right, as Fornelli mentioned about Pena and Ross. “I think when you look at the three names that you mentioned, when it comes to Ross and Pena, these are two guys that were very much high-volume targets in their offenses last year.” But still, Hudson will be more crucial for several reasons.

Standing at 6’2″ and 212 lbs, Kyron Hudson offers physicality in the receiver department that no WR presents for Penn State. Moreover, the wide receiver comes with 40 appearances under his belt in Lincoln Riley’s air raid offense. Now add that to his ability to consistently perform in downfield passing, which the receivers didn’t really provide last year. You got yourself a wide receiver who will open up routes for the running game and provide Drew Allar with that added support. Now, coming back to that natty conversation, James Franklin might be on to something here, not just because of the WR room but also because his presence elevates the entire offense.

The long-awaited Natty dream is close to reality now for Penn State after the recent James Franklin verdict.

The last time James Franklin saw a trophy was back in 2016 when Penn State lifted that Big 10 title. Ever since then, the trophy drought has stretched out longer and longer. So, having invested smartly in NIL on 8 transfers, the head coach even brought back three of his prolific players for the 2025 season. These were Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton, and Drew Allar. But do you know it wasn’t NIL that convinced these players to stay,rather it was something entirely distinct?

James Franklin sat with Adam Brenerman, the Penn State legend, in his May 17th video and talked about how Penn State’s team culture and relationships were key in making those three players stay. “Every player on the roster is walking away from a little bit of money…because they genuinely love the experience here.” The head coach even proclaimed that the players were building true relationships in the locker room. “I think it’s the culture that we’ve built here. There’s a culture of a transformational relationship. A true relationship, where they know I care about them and their futures.”

What this essentially means is that when all the Penn State players finally enter the Beaver Stadium against Nevada on 31st August, they won’t be playing for an NIL tag or a better draft pick. They will be giving their blood and sweat for their teammates and will work in tandem to make their long-awaited natty dream come true. That’s exactly what a winning team’s mentality should be, and Penn State seems to have that. So, seeing all this, can’t we already book their slot at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens for Jan 19th, 2026?