Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
2 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen he first set foot in Beaver Stadium, Benjamin Brahmer couldn't help but gawk at the sheer immensity of the place. "It was surreal," the senior tight end said. "It's a lot bigger than any stadium I've ever been in." It's a lot bigger than nearly every other stadium in the world, and it'll be Brah- mer's home field for the final season of his college football career. A second- team All-Big 12 performer as a junior at Iowa State, he was one of 24 players who in January chose to follow head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State. Those for- mer Cyclones, along with 16 transfers from other schools and 11 early-enroll- ing true freshmen, are getting their first taste of Penn State football this spring, and part of that experience is having to acclimate to the scale of their new sur- roundings. On April 25, the new Nittany Lions along with the program's 52 returnees will convene in the stadium for the Blue- White Game. It's unclear what form the game will take, given the abundance of players who are dealing with health con- cerns, a list that includes projected start- ing quarterback Rocco Becht. The spring game might not be a game at all. It might be a series of drills aimed at maximizing the last of Penn State's 15 allotted prac- tice sessions. But no matter what the Lions do on game day, there will be a crowd on hand at Beaver Stadium. As far as Campbell is concerned, the chance to play in front of fans is a big part of the game's appeal. While the stadium has a long history of inducing shock and awe, ideally, you'd like to induce it in opponents, not your own team. "I think it's really important for our kids to be in that stadium with our fans," Campbell said in February. "I don't want [the season opener to be] the first time Rocco Becht throws a pass in a game there with fans. I think it's important for this team to be able to get out there." Campbell's comments underscore the leap that he and his former Iowa State HOUSE HOUSEWARMING ARMING PARTY PARTY A very different Penn State football team will look to make itself right at home this spring M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M