Penn State's Next NIL Promotion: An Open Practice for Fans

The Lions will host a free open practice in August — following an autograph session for members of their NIL collective.

Penn State is offering fans a rare opportunity to watch a preseason football practice in person as part of its continuing efforts to promote the Happy Valley United NIL collective.

Penn State will open its Aug. 12 practice at the Lasch Football Complex to all fans who want to watch the Lions prepare for their Sept. 2 opener against West Virginia. Practice is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and admission is free to everyone. Now, here's the NIL tie-in. Prior to practice, Penn State players will sign autographs exclusively for members of Happy Valley United, Penn State's newly rebranded NIL collective. The autograph session is scheduled to last 45 minutes. Fans who want to obtain autographs but aren't Happy Valley United members can join the collective on-site. Memberships start at $25 per month.

The open practice marks Penn State's latest pitch to promote Happy Valley United, which formed via a merger of the program's two previous collectives, Success With Honor and Lions Legacy Club. In late July, Penn State players and coaches attended a $2,000 per-person NIL function in Avalon, N.J., that Lions Legacy Club (which operates under the Happy Valley United umbrella) organized. Penn State coach James Franklin and Athletic Director Patrick Kraft also have urged fans to join or contribute to the collective as a means to support Penn State athletes.

"I will say this right now: It’s OK to give to the collective, I need you to give to the collective," Kraft said recently. "If that’s something you want to do, that’s OK. You also can give to scholarships, you also can give to the facilities."

This is a rare chance to see the Lions in action outside of gamedays, since Penn State practices normally are closed to the public and media. As for the practice, Franklin said media will be permitted to attend but under strict reporting rules. Penn State consulted with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles regarding their rules on open practices. If reporters adhere to the rules concerning formations, personnel and injuries, then Penn State will consider making this an annual event, Franklin said.

"We are looking forward to the open practice that we're having, which is something that is new," Franklin said. "It's something that we've really wanted to do for a while. I brought it up to the coordinators, and we haven't always all been on the same page that everybody wants to do it. I think some of you guys know me and [defensive coordinator] Manny [Diaz] went and visited the Patriots this past offseason, and we think it's going to be a good thing.

"One of the reasons I'm excited about it is, we like to play in Beaver Stadium. We think being in Beaver Stadium is good for our guys, so they are not experiencing it for the first time. But I also think there's an aspect of playing in front of the fans and playing in front of the media that also prepares our guys."

Gates to the open practice will open at 6:30 p.m., and practice is scheduled to last about two hours. For more information and directions, visit the Penn State sports site.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.