Penn State AD Pat Kraft interview at Big Ten Media Days
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft spoke with the media on Tuesday evening, ahead of his team’s Wednesday showcase at Big Ten Media Days. Hear Kraft’s complete comments on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel or embedded in this article.
Kraft speaks about ongoing Penn State projects
Kraft started his press conference with several questions about the White Out. The team picked Washington on Nov. 9 for it’s landmark event. Kraft dove into how the sausage is made from a TV perspective when asked why Penn State landed on Washington.
“We don’t land on any game,” Kraft said. “This year became a little more draft process. The networks have a draft.”
“They pick the first slate of games that come out and then it goes into a 12-day window. So that became a problem for us becuase of how big the White Out is.”
Beaver Stadium Renovations
The program revealed the latest renderings of what fans should expect with the new video board and video ribbons going into Beaver Stadium for the 2024 season. Kraft wouldn’t promise that they would be ready for the season, but he assured the media that things were going sw
“For the most part, everything will be up and running. It’s just doing construction nowadays. We’re trying to hit a mark but it’s a moving target. With just getting equipment in ad permitting and all the other things. But they’re moving really quickly.”
Penn State is investing 700 million dollars in improvements to the stadium, which began in earnest this summer. Here’s an excerpt from that release about the team’s new video ribbon.
“… [The project] is an annual program that addresses major capital improvements in and around Beaver Stadium. The 2024 budget is earmarked for priority work encompassing LED Video upgrades, Server Relocation, Stadium Winterization, and various other enabling work as part of the West Side Renovation Project.
Kraft went on the record with Blue White Illustrated this summer, talking about the investment in the stadium.
“Criticism is criticism. You’re never going to get everybody unanimous on this,” said Kraft. “We have had more financial pro formas than I think anybody in the world for a project.
“I feel very comfortable with where we are. Remember, we do have 94,000 season ticket holders. We are Penn State football. I think people are missing that point. This is a behemoth. We are the best program in the country, we are the best fans in the country, we deserve it, and we deserve to be able to have a great experience. And, we will continue to enhance and adapt to whatever the ever-changing world is.”
Big Ten Wednesday Preview
Head coach James Franklin will speak twice on Wednesday. He takes to the main podium to field questions from the national media at 12:45 for roughly 15 minutes. Afterward, he’ll make national media appearances before sitting down with reporters for a roundtable discussion at 3:30. We’ll have press conferences for you on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel and here on the site.
