How are Penn State transfers Trebor Pena and Amare Campbell fitting in with the Lions? Chuck Losey weighs in
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State offensive linemen, defensive linemen, and specialists took part in a 45-minute summer weightlifting session that was open to reporters on Monday. That means that the newest Nittany Lions who joined the team via the transfer portal, receiver Trebor Pena and linebacker Amare Campbell, were not on hand. But, when their position groups are in the Lasch Building for workouts as the march toward preseason camp continues, both have been impressive, head strength coach Chuck Losey said Monday, as they now sit less than a month away from fighting for a starting spot for the first time in blue and white.
“I mean, priority number one is just to get them comfortable within our team and getting them fit into our culture,” Losey said Monday. “That’s always going to be priority number one for us. We knew who they were from an athletic standpoint. Athletically, we knew what their capabilities were, both of them.”
Penn State focused on getting Pena faster. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound New Jersey native and redshirt senior+ is looking to build on a 2024 season that saw him earn second-team All-ACC honors after catching 84 passes for 941 yards and nine touchdowns last season at Syracuse.
“Pena, I knew that we could make jumps in speed and his ability to be dynamic on the field,” Losey said. “I watched his film, saw what his baseline measurables were when they first came in, and we’d been able to increase his outputs on everything this summer. So I’m really, I’m really excited to see where he tests out next week. I think he’s going to test really well.”
As for Campbell, he stands 6-foot, 231 pounds and joined the Lions after multiple seasons at North Carolina.
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“Amare was a little bit different situation,” Losey said. “Combo position player, probably came in a little bit more under-conditioned than Pena. So what I’m excited about, Amare, is that he’s been able to put five or six pounds on since he’s been here, but he’s also been able to drop points off of his body fat percentage. So again, it goes back to moving efficiency for our guys.”
Both Pena and Campbell will continue to try moving forward during next week’s summer testing session before the pads come on and preseason camp kicks off.
“I’m happy with both of them,” Losey said. “They fit in well with the culture. From a performance profiling standpoint. I mean, they fit right in with the guys. So I’m happy with them.”
