James Franklin discusses facility upgrades at Penn State

The sight of construction crews and equipment were present in Happy Valley this year as some major renovations to Penn State‘s football facilities have commenced. From their practice and training facilities to Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions are in the process of or on the verge of making serious upgrades. And head football coach James Franklin was recently asked if these upgrades are making a difference in what his team is able to accomplish for themselves and for fans.

“First of all yeah, I do think it makes a difference,” Franklin said.”But for us, we wanted to make sure when we first got here that we took care of all the things that impacted the players. So the locker room, the weight room, the meeting room, so we had the best environment possible to teach, and coach, and help them grow. So those things were really important.”

Penn State is still in the midst of its Lasch Football Building renovations, a five-year project that has slowly but surely made some huge strides in the Nittany Lions’ practice and training facilities. Upgrades to the lobby, meeting rooms, weight room, locker room, and nutrition bar have been made in the Lasch Building, with another phase of upgrades to the team’s outdoor practice fields underway.

The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee also recently approved a $70 million expenditure to complete the first stage of renovating Beaver Stadium. The first stage will include priority maintenance projects, winterizing, and architectural and design development, and is part of a four-year $700 million renovation plan of the historic stadium.

Construction on Beaver Stadium is expected to start in January of 2025 following the 2024 football season, and is something that didn’t always seem attainable according to Franklin.

“But it’s interesting when you talk about facilities, that was a fight when I first got here. There was some resistance to that. Very similar to what we’re going through now with the change in NIL rules and transfer portal and things like that. So the quicker we can embrace these things, then the quicker we can get to competing at the very very highest level on a consistent basis and that’s really the goal,” Franklin said.

Penn State did launch their NIL collective, Lions Legacy Club, in 2022. And a firm grasp and handle on the name, image, and likeness space combined with new facilities on the horizon could prime Penn State for a successful journey into the new era of college athletics.