Penn State collective set for Philadelphia NIL event on Thursday
The offseason push for Penn State football to help its NIL efforts is set to take another step this week. And this time, a broad contingent of Nittany Lions, past and present, is heading to Philadelphia to do it.
Happy Valley United, the NIL collective that supports the Penn State football program, will hold its “We Are… In Philly” reception on Thursday evening in Center City. Set for the Bellevue Hotel, the event will feature a pre-event VIP reception, hosted by Nittany Lions’ head coach James Franklin, followed by a main reception, as well as an exclusive after party at the Union League of Philadelphia on Broad Street.
And, announced just this past week, new Philadelphia Eagle and former Penn State great running back Saquon Barkley is partnering with Happy Valley United on the endeavor.
“We’re going to have Saquon. That will be a huge draw, as you know,” said Jen Ferrang, General Manger of Development and Corporate Sponsorships for HVU. “People who are Eagles fans might want to come for that alone. And so it’s going to be a combination of a more intimate cocktail reception and then a general reception that’s going to be really fun.
“We’ll have a lot of different things going on. We’ll have some silent auctions, some live auctions, and it should just be another way to attract attention and educate people on NIL for football. This will be our inaugural event for this in Philadelphia. We’re trying a lot of different venues and opportunities to interact with players and Letterman and the coaching staff.”
Penn State NIL event details
The event stands as the second NIL push for Penn State football out of three announced this spring and summer. Already having hosted an inaugural Penn State Golf Tournament and Reception on April 29 at Harrisburg’s West Shore Country Club, the Philadelphia event serves as a second opportunity for fans and donors to connect with Nittany Lions past and present.
The event will run from 6-10 p.m. and includes three separate receptions. From 6-7 p.m., Franklin, members of his staff, and program lettermen will host a VIP reception with limited tickets available. That leads into a main reception from 7-9 p.m., with entertainment provided by “rapping magician” Mervant Vera and “speed painter” Cory Sabol, as well as dozens of announced special guests.
According to the most recent social media post from HVU, the lineup of guests is set to include former Penn State All-Americans Dan Connor and Carl Nassib, as well as sports media personality Adam Brennan and Lettermen Jordan Hill, Brandon Bell, and Grant Haley. Additionally, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft will be joined by current Nittany Lion coordinators Tom Allen and Andy Kotelnicki, plus assistants Terry Smith, Anthony Poindexter, Phil Trautwein, Marques Hagans, and Deion Barnes.
“We’re gonna have a small reception first with Coach,” said Ferrang. “Then we’ll have more of a general reception with Coach and former players and current players.”
Also set to appear at the event are current players including Tyrece Mills, Keon Wylie, Drew Shelton, Abdul Carter, and Jameial Lyons.
Tickets for the VIP reception ($500), main reception ($250), and VIP afterparty ($7,500) are available from Happy Valley United. A young professional rate is also available for $150 for attendees aged 35 and under.
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