For all of the hype and hope that’s been built into Penn State’s 2025 season, on Saturday, the team’s performance will likely be the secondary storyline.
The most talked about thing Saturday morning in tailgate lots and Saturday evening after the game is over won’t be the top new top wide receiver on Penn State’s roster but instead Beaver Stadium.
Or more specifically, West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
As Penn State embarked on its $700 million revitalization of the west side of Beaver Stadium, there have been almost as many questions, comments and concerns about the stadium’s future as there have been about the team that plays in it.
Saturday will thrust all of those stadium-related thoughts into the spotlight when Penn State takes on Nevada at 3:30 p.m.
Fans sitting on the west sideline (and some sitting in the eastern corners) will get their first taste of those temporary bleachers that have been constructed by the same company that handles the Waste Management Open in Arizona. (I’m sure I’m the first person to tell you about that fact.)
InProduction built roughly 9,000 seats most of which form a temporary second deck, replacing where Beaver Stadium’s press box used to be. In between that second deck is a row of Spacecubes that will house some press seating (likely the TV crew) and some other hospitality spaces, making it the first time they’ve been used in the United States. Because of this, even Penn State’s football beat will have to find a new place to sit, moving to the east side in renovated, now-former suites. Penn State’s coaches will also make the switch.
The temporary stanchions have drawn the ire of many on social media, questioning their safety and the open space between each row of bleachers. However, athletic director Pat Kraft assured fans at his recent press conference that everything is up to code – and you’ll be able to get whatever you drop back.
“I love all the memes and the creativity out there on the west side bleachers,” Kraft said. “We have a good laugh in the office…. The structure is safe. It is safe. It’s been looked at. It’s been inspected. L&I, like everything here has to approve any sort of construction process. They’ve signed off. The structure has met code. It’s good to go.”
All of this is part of Kraft’s larger push to reshape the way Penn State fans experience Beaver Stadium.
The other hallmark of that push has been the new $50 million, 15-year field-naming rights deal with West Shore Home that Penn State signed this offseason. And that, too, has drawn criticism for varying reasons this offseason.
Some are generally unhappy about the addition of the name, while others (including myself) were displeased with some sloppy temporary signage that has already been replaced by better but still temporary signage outside of Gate A …that will eventually be replaced.
The deal, which was purported as a field-naming rights deal, is toeing a fine line on as literal a stadium-naming rights deal as fans can expect to see the West Shore Home name emblazoned outside of various gates – and even by the Oregon game as Penn State told SSSWS — on top of the suites.
For years, Beaver Stadium had little to no signage facing out. So much so that James Franklin effectively demanded for the chipmunk logo to be appended to the back of the scoreboards. Now, a company’s name will be everywhere.
While there’s no issue here with extra money coming in during the we-need-every-dollar-that-we-can-get era of college athletics that’s still dawning, it’s fair to question where that line is and whether or not Penn State left money on the table based on how it’s now being presented compared to when it was first announced.
In the meantime, new LED boards – a major trend during last year’s batch of changes – have once again been added. Most notably, the logo over the tunnel has been replaced with one of those LED boards. And it remains to be seen how Penn State will mix its use of ads compared to useful stats and game information as a part of its broader presentation.
Overall, Penn State fans will see the most exhaustive changes to Beaver Stadium they’ve seen since the south endzone addition — now nearly a quarter century ago — and much like then, this is not your grandfather’s or even your father’s Beaver Stadium. Then by 2027, it will be a very different place.
Kraft’s goal for the future of Beaver Stadium also includes larger ambitions – something being hinted at and also reported earlier this week regarding a potential outdoor hockey game between Penn State and Michigan State this season. What the scope of that game is remains to be seen and with no announcement yet, it feels like Saturday could be the prime opportunity with 106,304 fans – a 268-person reduction from the last few years – to hear that announcement.
Elsewhere, fans may notice increases to concession prices due to Penn State’s new “Legacy Fund,” effectively serving as Penn State’s version of the talent fee. Additionally, Penn State has always changed up its gameday presentation each season and usually takes a few games to work out all of the kinks.
And that mirrors the football team’s schedule. Penn State begins the season with three contests against non-Power 4 opponents before taking on Oregon in Beaver Stadium’s biggest moment of the year.
All of that gives everyone plenty of time to get everything running smoothly for when it really matters.
vs 
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jenny Dell
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Announcers: Steve Jones, Jack Ham, Brian Tripp
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