Penn State sets plans for final spring practice session at Beaver Stadium
Asked at his pre-spring practice press conference if Penn State would hold its annual Blue-White Game this April, Nittany Lions' head coach James Franklin indicated conversations between the football program, the athletic department, and the university administration were ongoing.
Wednesday, a source described to Blue White Illustrated the plans that were taking shape.
Set to be rebranded from the typical "Blue-White Game" designation for this year, the Nittany Lions are tentatively set to hold a spring practice or scrimmage at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 17. And for the first time since the end of the 2019 season, fans beyond the parents and families of Penn State players and coaches will be permitted to attend.
According to a source, the freshman class of students at University Park will be invited to attend the event as a first opportunity to experience the game day atmosphere of a Penn State home football game. Additionally, tentative plans are for some cheerleaders and possibly even the Blue Band to be permitted to attend, in addition to the slate of Penn State football personnel families that were allowed to attend through much of the 2020 season.
However, the university's plans for the day do not include attendance or media coverage outside of the scope of player and coaches' families and students. The event will not be broadcast on the BTN, nor will media outlets be invited to attend.
The decision comes in the wake of newly released guidelines by Pennsylvania regarding COVID-19 precautions in which outdoor events are now permitted to hold up to 50 percent attendance as of April 4.
“I think there are some discussions right now going on with that at the university level, with our administration as well as the administration on campus in Old Main, and just making sure we're all on the same page,” Franklin said Monday. “I think for us, our entire focus is on what can we do to best position us for next year. We want to try to be able to get back as close to normal as we possibly can for next season and I think a lot of things are trending in that direction nationally as well as within our state. So that's kind of our focus.”
Regardless of the form Penn State's 15th and final practice of the spring takes, Franklin did announce Monday that the program intends to scrimmage on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the coming weeks. Seeking to maximize the opportunity for spring practices, the first since April 2019 following the abrupt cancelation of the program's entire spring slate of activities last March, April, May, and much of June, Franklin offered his insight into the approach he'd like to see.
“A lot of times those things in such a public setting are pretty vanilla. This would allow us to have a true 15th practice where we're putting everything out there from an evaluation standpoint as well,” Franklin said.
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