Penn State Headlines: Gearing for [Insert Brand Here] Field at Beaver Stadium

Why Penn State should explore outside interest in the naming rights to Beaver Stadium.

A general view of a video board inside Beaver Stadium prior to a football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini. / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Will Penn State football fans be tailgating outside a structure named something other than Beaver Stadium in the future? It's a compelling offseason thought as the calendar turns to July, college football coaches go on vacation and teams begin the slow burn to training camp.

In this week's Penn State Headlines, we'll ponder Beaver Stadium's naming-rights future, more recruiting success and college football's real July spectacle — the video game release.

Will Penn State consider selling naming rights to Beaver Stadium? In 1893, the Penn State football team moved its games to a plot of campus land called Beaver Field, the funding for which was appropriated by then-Pennsylvania Governor James A. Beaver. The Nittany Lions' home since has bore the governor's name at multiple campus locations and in seating capacities ranging from 500 to 106,572.

But what if that changes? Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft recently told Ben Jones of Statecollege.com that he's "open to everything" when it comes to new revenue streams. Among those is selling naming rights to Beaver Stadium. How would Penn State fans react to "Insert Corporate Brand Here" Field at Beaver Stadium? If it means more NIL funding for Penn State football, they should be OK with it.

More conversations with Pat Kraft: Nate Bauer of Blue-White Illustrated sat down with Kraft for a compelling interview that touched on several topics. Kraft delivered a lot of "We Are!" particularly when discussing the White Out, but also touched on topics related to NIL and the Beaver Stadium renovation. It's a worthwhile watch.

Penn State's offense gets a boost in College Football 25: EA Sports is building anticipation (as if that hasn't redlined already) for the July 19 release of College Football 25 by teasing fans with some power rankings. You might have seen the tribal heckling online, but Penn State fared pretty well.

The Nittany Lions ranked ninth defensively and 12th offensively to score a No. 9 team power ranking. While the defensive rating might have been a bit low, the offensive number was up there for a unit that ranked 55th nationally in total offense last season. EA Sports must like the blend of coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterback Drew Allar.

Recruiting recap: Penn State landed four more recruiting commitments last week, headlined by a 2026 quarterback. Troy Huhn, a 4-star prospect from California, became the second member of the Nittany Lions' 2026 class. Meanwhile, Penn State received commitments from 2025 prospects from Texas, Maryland and Kansas. Edge rusher Max Granville is a unique player.

An interesting baseball transfer: Penn State reached the Big Ten baseball championship game under first-year coach Mike Gambino, who promised "dogpiles" in the future. The run helped Penn State land transfer outfielder Justin Kling from LSU, who was part of the Tigers' 2023 College World Series championship team. Kling went to high school near Altoona and announced his transfer decision with a social media post titled, "Coming home."

Good reads

Pennlive's Johnny McGonigal has an interview with former Penn State linebacker Michael Zordich

Audrey Snyder of The Athletic goes behind the scenes with 2026 quarterback commit Troy Huhn

Ben Jones of Statecollege.com writes about former Penn State basketball player Andrew Jones getting a G League head-coaching job

David Taylor on a potential Aaron Brooks-Hassan Yazdani match at the Summer Olympics (Joe Smeltzer, Nittany Sports Now)

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.