Why Penn State Wants Beaver Stadium to Be Nation's Biggest

While other organizations are reducing stadium capacity, Penn State is looking at expansion.

A digital rendering of the renovated West Side of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, scheduled for completion in 2027. | Courtesy of Penn State Athletics

CHICAGO | Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft recently signed the last beam that was placed atop Beaver Stadium's West Tower, whose peak will hover 195 feet off the ground. The new bleachers on the West side, which are higher and closer to the field than those they replaced, will amplify the stadium's sound and grow both its physical and psychological size.

While stadiums in professional and college sports are getting smaller (and reducing overall capacity) while adding more premium seating, Penn State is charting a difference course. Beaver Stadium temporarily will be the nation's largest this season, with a potential seating capacity of 109,000, and Kraft fiercely wants it to surpass Michigan Stadium as the biggest when the renovation is complete in 2027.

Asked what he wants the new Beaver Stadium's final capacity to be, Kraft smiled.

"Well, I think you know the answer to that," he said. "I want to be as big as we can be."

Speaking to reporters at Big Ten Media Days, Kraft painted a picture of a Beaver Stadium that towers above all others, carrying more people and noise than ever before. Not far from downtown Chicago, where Media Days are being held, Northwestern will open its new Ryan Field this fall with a reduced capacity of 35,000. In fact, Penn State will play the first game there Oct. 2.

But Penn State looks to expand Beaver Stadium's capacity, not just temporarily for this season but also likely for the long term. Kraft expects the stadium's 2026 capacity to be around 109,000, which would make it the largest in the country for the first time. With a traditional seating capacity of 106,572, Beaver Stadium long has trailed Michigan Stadium (107,601) as the nation's biggest.

Kraft said that the renovation, which is in Phase II, remains on schedule for completion prior to the 2027 season. He added that the project also is on budget. Penn State initially budgeted the renovation at $700 million.

Why Beaver Stadium is expanding this season

Beaver Stadium, July 22, 2026 pic.twitter.com/jElAJzLMK9

— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) July 22, 2026

The temporary expansion will result from the unique construction process. To build the West Tower, which will house a new collection of premium suites, Penn State started at the top. It knocked down the press box and the former bleachers after the 2024 season and spent the last 18 months building the tower.

Penn State staged temporary bleachers on the West side, as well as in other parts of the stadium, last season. Though they won't be necessary on the West side this season, the temporary bleachers will be erected in other parts of Beaver Stadium again, Kraft said.

"We've also found little areas in the building that we can maximize, and they're actually really good seats, and so we'll be able to put those on the market," Kraft said. "Once again, go back to the conversation [about] the commercialization and the revenue-generation side. Any seat that I can sell, and I can give a really good experience, we're going to do that. And so that that all plays into it."

When the new permanent bleachers are ready (Kraft anticipates for the USC game), Penn State will have a huge new section of capacity. Meanwhile, the lower bowl bleacher seats will remain in place for 2026.

But after this season, Penn State is scheduled to demolish the lower bowl and replace it with premium chairback seating. That will naturally reduce capacity, though Kraft said the construction timeline was essential for Penn State to maintain capacity above 106,000 during the renovation.

"In order to keep our attendance where it needed to be financially for who we are, we did the opposite of what you would normally do in a construction project," Kraft said. "Normally, you'd go front to back. We went back to front, which makes this [2027] season more tricky because you've got to take that lower infrastructure out of the building and then rebuild."

Why expand Beaver Stadium?

The transformation continues. ⚒️#WeAre pic.twitter.com/3UbwPXnv43

— Beaver Stadium (@beaver_stadium) July 28, 2026

So why potentially expand, especially in a sports market that is prioritizing more premium seating over total capacity? Kraft said that Penn State seeks to offer both more traditional and premium seating with the renovation.

"We have the largest season-ticket base in the country of over 94,000," Kraft said. "Our volume, in general, makes Penn State who Penn State is. So why would I limit the capacity and limit the ability for fans to come in and experience a college football game day at Happy Valley?

"And so I agree. A lot of people are shrinking the size, but I think that's because they have to. We don't have to. And what we're looking at is a strategic size. ... We will have options for everybody. There has been no choice [before], really, in Beaver Stadium. Now we're giving options for all fans to enjoy gameday at all varied levels of investment, and I think that's really important when you have the size and the base of [Penn State]."

Then there's the atmosphere of Beaver Stadium, which Kraft said the renovation will amplify.

"You have to see it how it is compared [to before] when you're on the field," Kraft said. "It's such an intimidating presence on the field the way it is. Now, you're closer to the field on the on the West side, and the magnitude and the size and the sound will just make an intimidating environment even more intimidating. So that's what really excites me."

With a recent $5 million donation, Penn State surpassed its $135 million fundraising goal for the project. That includes the $50 million gift from West Shore Home for naming rights to the field at Beaver Stadium. Kraft said that Penn State will continue pursuing donations.

"We're probably in the end of the third quarter [of the renovation]," Kraft said. "We've got a fourth quarter, but we are very confident. ... We're on budget, and we track that all the time. We're in a really good spot, a really, really good spot."

Built for the loudest crowd in college football. 🔊

The new west side is on the way, and we already know the atmosphere is going to be next level.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/liDjE6PpJ3

— Beaver Stadium (@beaver_stadium) June 30, 2026

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.