Anyone who wants to see the highlight event of Blue-White Weekend at Penn State, some on-field activity at Beaver Stadium that’s no longer a game and at best a practice, will have to do so in person.

It’s kind of an old-school, throwback weekend in Happy Valley that way.

Forget 2026, it will feel several decades earlier Saturday — maybe not by what happens in the stadium or on the field, but by how people access it. Or not.

There’s no planned TV coverage of the practice session for the football team and no radio coverage, either. As of this writing, there’s not even any special access planned for anyone willing to pay through ROAR+, the exclusive content site curated by Penn State Athletics.

A mix of factors has prompted the situation, one of which is the construction at Beaver Stadium, which has not left a place for the program’s radio broadcast team to do its work on Saturday. The same applies to a potential TV partner.

Additionally, it’s a practice, not a game, so it probably will not be the most TV friendly event. Heck, it might not be all that fan friendly, but those who enter the stadium to check out the progress of construction and the composition of the team can determine that for themselves.

Pay to play

As always, fans can access the stadium Saturday for free, and the tradition of people handling their own tailgating plans stretches back for generations.

For those inclined, though, there are many options to pay for special access. The entry level package Penn State Athletics offers this weekend costs $850 and includes a tailgating spot at the Ag Arena (across the street from the stadium), one 10×10 tent, one six-foot table and five chairs. No food or beverages are included.

It will be interesting to see if Penn State in any way adopts the approach used by Ohio State at its spring game last weekend. Vendors in Columbus offered fans the opportunity to “round up” their purchases to support OSU’s name, image and likeness fund benefitting student-athletes.

Positively … patient

Penn State coach Matt Campbell has been available with regularity throughout the spring. It’s been earlier than usual for media members, typically happening after morning practices, but the access has allowed the football team to get its story out there.

It’s a story of change, opportunity and optimism. It’s always optimism at this time of year, and especially so with a new coach.

For fans, it’s important to consume that positivity with a good bit of patience. At this time last year, it was all rainbows, roses and sunshine, too.

Things changed along the way, as they did in the seasons before after perfectly positive springs.

So, embrace the stories, learn about the players (especially with all the change and newcomers) but keep in mind the games do not happen for months. And the ones that really matter might be a month or so after that.

Practice plans

Maybe the biggest beneficiary of the big public practice at Beaver Stadium will be the coaches and players who have never experienced a gameday in Happy Valley.

Seeing the typical turnout, if the weather holds, might be an eye-opening experience for some of them — just because of the sheer number of blue-and-white faithful who attend and the glimpse of their passion the day could provide.

The coaches and players will also benefit from the gameday routine — riding the blue buses, walking across Curtin Road and getting a sense about some of the school traditions. All of that might make the real thing in fall a little easier to digest.

Penn State has made one media-related change this spring. Coach Campbell conducts his media availabilities while standing up as opposed to doing so seated. It’s subtle but does change the power dynamic of the speaker behind the lectern in such situations. Plus, it tends to shorten media sessions.

Maybe there were hours invested in discussing the switch. Or maybe Campbell just likes standing up. But it’s different.

White Out wait

After this weekend, the next big news related to Penn State football will not be the recruiting class (which continues to draw good rankings according to those who supposedly know), but instead the date of the White Out in the fall.

Most likely and logical:

Oct. 10 vs. USC. Of course, that will depend on broadcast partner selections and Penn State’s lobbying efforts.

Notable

â-  The lone blue-and-white sporting event scheduled for TV Saturday is a softball game at Illinois. That will air at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

â-  It’s 95 days until Big Ten Football Media Days begin, and Penn State’s contingent will be featured on the first day of the three-day event in Chicago.

â-  It’s 134 days until football season begins for Penn State with a home game against Marshall.

â-  It’s been 410 days since March 10, 2025, when Penn State’s football stadium was officially renamed West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. It’s certainly a noticeable chance for anyone approaching the facility on the east side of campus — because the signage is hard to miss — but, as with most such name changes, widespread adoption of anything beyond Beaver Stadium remains limited among fans and the media.

Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com