Penn State has a lot it has to clean up on this spring, and much of that will be done with what it does in practice. With new coaches in place, tons of portal guys, and more, there are a lot of questions about Penn State next season, despite the intrigue it has.
Head coach Matt Campbell said, when discussing plans for the practices, that he wants to have one at Beaver Stadium with fans.
“I think it's really important for us and how critical our fan base is to our football program that we get out and have an opportunity for our fans to be with us,” Campbell said, per the school. “But I think equally it's critical for our players to be in that stadium and to feel what that fan base feels like and looks like and what Beaver Stadium looks like, replicating that environment to the best of our ability before we step in and play a game, obviously, next fall.
“I think we'll evaluate exactly what that 15th practice looks like. I think you'll get some version of practice. Hopefully we can get some scrimmaging where we get some live reps in practice and be able to showcase that. What we won't do is waste a day. What we will do is I think it's really important for us to be out there and make sure we do a great job of being there for our fans and equally being able to be with our fans because I think it's really important.”
While having a practice is a lot different than playing a game at Beaver, it’ll be a nice moment for fans and players to interact. The new Penn State guys also need to get ready to play at Beaver and deal and hear the noise.
Spring time is always a good chance for guys to get work in and it sounds like many of them are doing what’s needed to get on the field ready to go in what will be one of the biggest seasons in Penn State history due to what happened last year.