Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A thletics director Patrick Kraft said in July that Penn State's $700 mil- lion overhaul of Beaver Stadium was on budget and on schedule with the second offseason of work set to conclude in just over a month. "We're right on track, which is great," Kraft said at Big Ten Media Days in Chi- cago. "We're on budget. From a phil- anthropic standpoint, we're ahead of where we needed to be, but we'll keep raising money and doing what we need to do. We're really happy with where it is." On July 7, Penn State announced a $5 million gift toward the stadium proj- ect from S&A Homes CEO Bob Poole and his wife, Sandy. That brought PSU's private fundraising efforts to more than $135 million, surpassing the $134.3 mil- lion goal the university had established at the beginning of the project. As was the case last year, construc- tion will continue during the season. And due to its current configuration, Kraft said he expects Beaver Stadium to have the largest capacity of any facility in college football this fall. It's possible that the Lions could pack more than 109,000 fans into the venue, surpassing Michigan Stadium's official capacity of 107,601. "I can assure you that the reason why I know the 109 number right now is be- cause it's what we forecasted out with the upper bowl being done," Kraft said. The stadium will not hold 109,000 when Penn State opens its season on Sept. 5 against Marshall. Kraft said he doesn't expect it to reach maximum ca- pacity until the USC game on Oct. 10. "We're going to ease into it," he said. "The goal right now, it won't be Mar- shall, but USC looks like the game where they will have all the construction done, with bench seating up top on the up- per bowl. I can't give you a guaranteed number because we're finding areas where we can put temporary boxes and special seating. "We're continuing to evaluate and find those [areas]. Anywhere I can put a seat in that building, we're going to put a seat. But as we get closer to fin- ishing the seating bowl, we'll have a real number." Kraft did not say what the stadium's capacity will be once the renovation is complete. He noted that some chairback club seating is being installed this sum- mer, but it won't be available for fans this season. Overall, Kraft said, Penn State offi- cials are pleased with the progress that's been made on the massive project. "It's like a football game," he said. "We're probably in the end of the third quarter. We've got a fourth quarter. We've got to win the fourth quarter, but we are very confident. Watching the construction team work [has been encouraging], and they're going to con- tinue to work through the regular sea- son. They don't stop. "So, we're on budget, and we track that all the time. We're in a really, really good spot. Those club seats that you'll see, there won't be anybody in them this year; we'll probably put a tarp over them. The back of the house is not ready for prime time." It will be ready soon enough, though. Penn State continues to inch along to- ward the final product, which is ex- pected to be ready for the start of the 2027 season. And with new seats and numerous new premium options, Kraft hopes it appeals to the entire Nittany Lion fan base. "We're giving options for all fans to enjoy game day at all varied levels of in- vestment," he said. "I think that's really important." ■ Stadium Project 'Right On Track' Heading Into Season G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Athletics director Patrick Kraft said Beaver Stadium could end up with a capacity of 109,000 this fall, which would make it the largest facility in college football. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/ PENN STATE ATHLETICS "Anywhere I can put a seat in that building, we're going to put a seat." P A T R I C K K R A F T