Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft addressed the media on Tuesday to provide updates on all things Penn State Athletics.

Kraft spoke on developments in the Beaver Stadium construction project, football ticket sales for 2025, and Penn State’s NIL positioning. Here are some key points from Kraft’s 30 minutes at the stand.

On Beaver Stadium Construction

Kraft opened up his press conference with a brief overview of the ongoing Beaver Stadium construction project. 3,200 tons of steel were erected to 66 feet for the new concourse level where the west side temporary seating is located, but it will size up to 190+ feet when the structure is done. In addition, 6,651 cubic yards of concrete were poured as of August 1 for the base of the new structure.

“It is a big, big, big, big, big building. You can see it on paper when you design it, you can do all those things until you walk it,” Kraft said. “You do not get an appreciation for what the construction crew did in a very, very quick time. It is going to be awesome when it’s done.”

Construction will continue throughout the year, but it will be halted on Thursday, August 28, in preparation for Penn State’s season opener against Nevada. The club level and main concourse were among the things Kraft said will continue to be worked on as the season progresses.

From a game-day perspective, fans won’t be able to see the depth of the concourses since they are walling those sections off to continue to do construction behind the scenes. Once the season ends, however, the construction crew will go back up higher on what Kraft calls the “superstructure” to get the upper level of the stadium done.

On Football Ticket Sales

Kraft voiced his appreciation for longtime Penn State season ticket holders with seats on the west side for being understanding and gracious in the construction and temporary seating process. He said that athletics worked extremely hard to accommodate those fans and that while the process has been tricky, the reaction from those fans showcases Penn State’s tight-knit community.

As for ticket sales, Penn State football has 94,000 season ticket holders for the 2025 season with an official Beaver Stadium capacity of 106,304, down from 106,572. Despite this, Kraft voiced his excitement to get the season underway and for fans to create Beaver Stadium’s hostile environment.

“Our fans are going to be ready to rock and roll when we kick off for Nevada,” Kraft said. “That was very important for me and my team. We did not want anything to get in the way of the greatest environment in all of sports.”

Kraft said that there’s only a “smattering” of tickets left for Penn State’s matchups against FIU and Villanova, setting the stage for Beaver Stadium sellouts galore in 2025.

On Penn State’s NIL Positioning

Kraft said that Penn State as a whole has started to better understand how necessary NIL is in the current state of college football and that he’s extremely pleased with the position the school is in.

“I am really optimistic about where we’re at, and I believe we are positioned as good as anybody in the country because of our power,” Kraft said. “The Penn State power is real.”

He said that Penn State’s fans and supporters have played the biggest role in propelling the program to an NIL powerhouse due to a record year in donations and philanthropic work. Kraft recognized Penn State as a “power brand” and that NIL is built for a school like Penn State.