Penn State AD Pat Kraft discusses upcoming Beaver Stadium renovation

INDIANAPOLIS – Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft had plenty to discuss with media members Tuesday night in Indianapolis. With head coach James Franklin set to take the podium tomorrow at 12 p.m. eastern time, Kraft took the opportunity to discuss a broad range of topics with media members.

As Blue White Illustrated’s Greg Pickel laid out, NIL and scheduling were two of the three major topics this evening. The third was the upcoming Beaver Stadium renovation that’s expected to begin following the 2024 football season.

Since Blue White Illustrated broke the news of Penn State’s upcoming renovation in mid-April, details about the upgrade – which were confirmed by Penn State in early-May – have been few and far between.

Kraft provided an update on that timeline Tuesday evening.

“Architect and construction management firms are in the process right now,” Kraft said, when asked if either had been formally selected yet. “I would love to be able to tell you but I can’t because they’re not under contract. But they are [close]. They’re going through it and should be done very, very soon. Then they’ll be publicly known.

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“But that stuff is now starting up. The design, what’s the look, what can we do, how do you do it, how do you create the revenue? Like we’re literally starting that in the weeks coming forward.”

The plan, which is expected to run as high as $700 million, will primarily be focused on the west side of Beaver Stadium, including a complete demolition of the current stands and press box. The proposal calls for a rebuild with new stands, including expanded chair back seating on its lower level, as well as luxury amenities, suites and loge boxes. Additionally, space for press seating and media amenities will be included.

If all goes to plan, construction would begin following the completion of the 2024 football season and would be complete by the time Penn State begins its 2027 season.

“To get it done in the four-year window, the goal would be to do all the enabling projects right after this season: the winterization and get the design going and some of the stuff…Then, the next season, you will be done with design. You still got to go to the board and do all those steps, but then you’re going right after, hopefully, the playoff game in [Dec. 2024]. Then you’re off to the races.”

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