Syracuse coach Fran Brown had a fiery response to star wide receiver Trebor Pena, who reportedly wanted more NIL money before entering the college football transfer portal this week.
Brown didn't mince any words after Pena, who was named a team captain for the 2025 season, left his program in search of a larger NIL deal. Pena just wrapped up his redshirt senior season in which he recorded 84 catches for 941 yards and nine touchdowns, all career-highs.
"We paid him enough. He was going to get paid more. There were some numbers that were asked to me that I didn’t feel I would be able to do and move on," Brown said in an interview with ESPN Syracuse. "I treated him right, did everything that was needed, and I just said, 'Yo, you got to go.'"
Brown declined to reveal the specifics of what amount Pena was after, but he did deliver a strong statement on his former WR arguably asking for more than what he was worth.
"You gonna make $2 million at wide receiver? That's the homie at Ohio State [Jeremiah Smith]," Brown said. "Ain't nobody else making that money. I'm not giving no wide receiver $2 million in college. That ain't me. I ain't doing that unless they tell me we have a chance to have Travis Hunter come back to college. He can come here and play for us, then he gonna get some of my check."
Brown's firm stance comes after the NIL drama surrounding former Tennesee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who recently transferred to UCLA following a contentious holdout with the Vols.
Syracuse went 10-3 in Brown's first season in charge in 2024, notching the program's best finish since 2018.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Syracuse HC Fran Brown Blasts WR Trebor Pena Over NIL Dispute That Led to Transfer.
