FOOTBALL

Penn State Board of Trustees approve first steps of Beaver Stadium renovations

The initial steps of the four-year Beaver Stadium renovation process are expected to be completed over the next 12 months.

Published

5 months ago

May 5, 2023

Matt Thomas

Penn State Board of Trustees, Beaver Stadium renovations

Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — After years of speculation and false starts, Penn State is officially moving forward with plans to renovate Beaver Stadium. On Friday, the Penn State Board of Trustees approved $70 million to complete the first phase of the Beaver Stadium renovation, which will mainly focus on maintenance, winterization, and architectural design. With only one opposing vote, the decision is the first step toward the complete renovation of the 63-year home of Penn State football, which is expected to be done by 2027.

What did the Penn State Board of Trustees approve?

The Penn State Board of Trustees approved $70 million for what was described as “priority maintenance projects, winterizing, and architectural and design development.” The vote comes a day after the Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business, and Capital Planning signed off on the project. Penn State stated that initial construction will improve safety, security, crowd control, and field lighting. Funding will also be used to insulate the pipes, among other upgrades, to winterize Beaver Stadium. The University noted that this first stage of the Beaver Stadium renovation plan is expected to be completed over the next year.

Beaver Stadium's first renovation project has dates. pic.twitter.com/86JcFnu6Cd

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) May 4, 2023

“After years of studies and careful analysis, I’m happy that these much-needed renovations to Beaver Stadium are about to get underway,” President Neeli Bendapudi said in the statement released by Penn State on Thursday. “I am committed to continuing to grow our Intercollegiate Athletics program and to keeping Penn State competitive on the national stage.”

Dr. Bendapudi went on to say that Penn State is “one of only a handful of self-sustaining intercollegiate athletics departments in the country, which means that this project can move forward, distinctly, without using the University’s overall budget, tuition dollars, student fees or the critical resources available in support of our educational and research missions.”

How will the Beaver Stadium renovations impact the fan experience?

There are several ways in which the Beaver Stadium renovations will impact the overall fan experience on game day. Most notably, portions of this initial funding will go towards winterizing Beaver Stadium before the expanded College Football Playoff in 2024. The higher-seeded teams in the opening round of the expanded CFP will have the option to host the games at their home fields, which will be played on December 20 and 21, 2024. However, Beaver Stadium currently lacks the necessary infrastructure to host a game this late in the year. Winterizing the stadium will also allow Penn State to host other events in the winter, such as the NHL Winter Classic.

Moving forward, the entire renovation project, which is estimated to cost around $700 million, is expected to be finished before the 2027 season. After the renovations are complete, fans can expect improved amenities, such as restrooms, concessions, and stadium Wi-Fi. The upgrades will also improve the overall accessibility of Beaver Stadium, which was moved to its current location in 1960.

However, the upgrades won’t come without some minor inconveniences. The first stage of the renovation, which is anticipated to start in January 2025, will involve a complete reconstruction of Beaver Stadium’s west side. As a result, the stadium will lose capacity for the 2026 season. In a recent interview with Greg Pickel of Blue White Illustrated, Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said that the stadium will lose “minimum seats,” and the goal is to have “a capacity of more than 100,000 seats during the construction.”

Kraft reassured fans Thursday that, even with upgrades, Penn State will keep what has made Beaver Stadium one of the most iconic venues in all of college sports. “We have the most passionate fans in college football, and we are designing the renovation to provide them with an even better experience than the nation-leading game day environment we have now,” Kraft said in Penn State’s statement on Thursday. “Even with the substantial enhancements and new amenities, we will remain true to the traditions of Penn State football and Beaver Stadium.”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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FOOTBALL

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

The Penn State football defense sent a statement to everyone in the country last night with their performance.

Published

2 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, Adisa Isaac, defensive unit, Manny Diaz

Penn State's Adisa Isaac celebrates after recovering a fumble during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football defense has been elite early on this season. Against Illinois, they forced five turnovers including four interceptions. Then, last night on the national stage the defensive unit shut out Iowa 31-0. They also caused another four turnovers last night, all came from forced fumbles. So, that’s 9 turnovers caused in the past two games, Manny Diaz has this group dialed in. After the game, we caught up with Adisa Isaac and others who shared their thoughts on this statement performance.

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

Defensively, Penn State allowed 76 total yards of offense, total domination from start to finish. Iowa finished the night averaging 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. This unit understood the assignment on Saturday night and they took care of business. We asked Adisa Isaac about his thoughts on this statement performance.

Isaac said, “We have a dominant defense. That shouldn’t be no secret but I feel like we just showed in a shutout against a ranked opponent that we have some stuff that’s flowing and it’s only going to get better.”

He wasn’t the only one. After the game star linebacker, Abdul Carter tweeted “BEST DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY!!!! #WEARE.”

It shows the energy and the confidence that this unit is starting to play with. It’s at the perfect point in the season for Manny Diaz to have this defensive unit firing on all cylinders. As for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, he will have to pick up the pace on his lofty goal of scoring 25 points per game. After the Penn State loss, Iowa is only averaging 21.25 points per game.

The pass rush got home

One of the questions James Franklin was asked earlier this week surrounded the topic of lack of stats from star defenders. One of those players was potential 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson who picked up his first sack of the season. This was also a strip sack where Robinson caused a turnover. Amin Vanover and Adisa Isaac also collected sacks against Iowa last night.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

FB RECRUITING

BREAKING: Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Penn State lands top 100 nationally ranked linebacker DJ McClary after the whiteout weekend.

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, DJ McClary, 2025 recruiting

Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shakes the hands of invited recruits upon the team’s arrival prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The whiteout is one of the biggest weekends for the Penn State football team. Not only because of the game that was played. But arguably more importantly, it allows Penn State to showcase its greatness to recruits. The atmosphere, the fans, the community, all of these elements factor into a player’s decision to commit to Penn State. James Franklin made sure that he thanked each player and parent after the game as well for making it to State College. Now, DJ McClary has made his decision to join the 2025 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Earlier this week, a crystal ball was placed by 247sports Brian Dohn for DJ McClary to land at Penn State. Now, McClary has made his decision to play his college football at Linebacker U. McClary is a four-star recruit and he is a top-100 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247sports composite rankings. He is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and chose Penn State over Ohio State, USC, Tennesee, Michigan, and several other schools.

DJ McClary is currently the 3rd highest-rated player in New Jersey and is a massive addition to the 2025 recruiting class at Penn State. James Franklin is hopeful that this is one of many commitments that will result from the 31-0 victory over Iowa. After watching the defense last night, how would you not want to play linebacker at Penn State?

Re-racking the 2025 recruiting class

After recently losing Jaelyne Matthews to a de-commitment this is how the 2025 recruiting class is shaping up for Penn State. Four-star RB KiAndrea Barker, three-star S Omari Gaines, and now DJ McClary.

The Nittany Lions are optimistic that they can land four-star running back Tiqwai Hayes who will make his decision tomorrow.

FOOTBALL

JUST IN: Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

The Penn State football team has received its next set of rankings in the latest AP Poll.

Published

6 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State foootball, AP Poll, James Franklin,

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar prepares to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football team is coming off one of its more dominating performances in recent history. Defeating the No.24 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0. Not only did Penn State shut out Iowa, but they also controlled the entire game in all three phases. James Franklin and his coaching staff had this team prepared to go to battle last night and they did just that. Now, that the game is past us, it’s time for the next set of rankings in the AP Poll to be released.

Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

Penn State entered the matchup against Iowa as the No. 7 team in the AP Poll. Obviously, the Nittany Lions took care of business and have shown that they can be one of the best teams in the country. But around the country, many teams held their own.

Ohio State went into South Bend as the No. 6 ranked team. The Buckeyes defeated No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14 on a last-second rushing touchdown. This has boosted their ranking as the Buckeyes are now the No. 4 ranked team. Penn State will get their chance to defeat the Buckeyes on October 21st when they travel to Columbus, Ohio.

This week, Penn State received the No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll. It’s challenging to move up the AP Poll when no chaos occurs ahead of your team. That’s the position that Penn State has found themselves up to this point. But now, with Ohio State and Penn State taking care of business they were able to move up. The Washington Huskies are closely trailing Penn State and they’re certainly another team that we need to keep an eye on moving forward.

Nittany Lions next challenge

Penn State hits the road again next weekend. They will face a hungry Northwestern team. This will be another 11 a.m. central time kickoff for the Penn State football team. James Franklin will need to get his team motivated to play in this next conference challenge. The Wildcats are coming off of an overtime upset victory over Minnesota. The matchup will appear on Big Ten Network (BTN) next Saturday.