Sports

Syracuse Football Let Top WR Walk With Refusal To Be Held Hostage By $2M NIL Demands

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Syracuse football coach Fran Brown reacts during a game.

© D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images


The Syracuse football team will be without its top returning wide receiver in the 2025 season. Trebor Pena has entered the transfer portal after failed NIL negotiations.

Coach Fran Brown opened up on those discussions in an interview this week. He refused to let his program be held hostage.

Pena ranked second on the Orange offense with 921 receiving yards a year ago. He led the ACC with 84 catches while hauling in nine touchdowns. He was expected to be the leader of the group as a senior. That won’t be the case.

The pass catcher entered the transfer portal this week alongside hundreds of other college football players. He’ll look for a new home ahead of his final year of eligibility.

Fran Brown was asked about the issues that led to his departure. He said it was largely money related.

“We paid him enough, and he was going to get paid more,” he said of Pena’s exit. “There were some numbers asked to me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do… If you want to make $2 million at WR, that’s for the little homie over there at Ohio State. Ain’t nobody else making that.”

Brown also said that Trebor Pena had questions about the offense. Last year’s starting QB Kyle McCord is headed to the NFL. LSU transfer Rickie Collins is expected to take his place. Collins spent two seasons in Baton Rouge as a backup.

Pena worried that inexperience at QB could hurt his NFL Draft stock. He wasn’t going to take the risk without being properly compensated.

Fran Brown believed the asking price to be too high. He let his top wide receiver walk, which certainly won’t help his first year starting signal caller.

It’s a situation that’s been seen throughout college football, most recently making headlines at the University of Tennessee. QB Nico Iamaleava reportedly pushed for a 100% increase in salary. The Vols refused. The passer then transferred to UCLA where he’ll likely take a pay cut.

Syracuse football has become the latest victim of NIL negotiations gone wrong. They’ll look to find a replacement for Pena ahead of the 2025 season.