Could Penn State wrestling hold a match at Beaver Stadium this winter?
Penn State wrestling has had its fair share of historic and memorable moments over the years. Could another one be added to fans’ memory banks this winter? Carter Starocci, the four-time NCAA champion who is coming back for a final season and shot at becoming the first five-time champ in the sport’s storied history, suggested 2024-2025 might include another type of first besides his chase for one.
“Now let’s sell out the beaver stadium in November,” Starocci wrote on Twitter.
Those nine words set the Internet a blaze with a simple question: Is Penn State planning to hold its first wrestling match at Beaver Stadium this year? Athletic director Pat Kraft has been clear that he wants the 107,000-seat venue to be utilized for more than just seven home football games a year. The recently concluded Luke Combs concert is one way to do that. Bringing fans from across the state and region to Beaver Stadium to see the defending NCAA champions in action might be another.
Could outdoor wrestling work for Penn State at Beaver Stadium?
Trust us, you are not the only one reading and thinking about this concept while also saying to yourself, ‘What about the weather?’ It goes without saying that, in this hypothetical discussion, rain or snow or unseasonably frigid tempts would be the biggest concern. But, there is precedent for an outdoor wrestling match at places besides Penn State. Camp Hill High School, located a 90-minute drive from Beaver Stadium, hosted Newport in Dec. 2023 for what FOX 43 calls Pennsylvania’s first outdoor high school wrestling match. At the college level, Iowa wrestled Oklahoma State outdoors at the Hawkeyes’ Kinnick Stadium in 2015. In November 2016, Rutgers and Princeton battled outdoors at High Point Solution Stadium during the day. At night, the Scarlet Knights hosted Penn State in football at the same venue. The Lions scored a 39-0 shutout.
So, it can be done. If the Lions wanted to pair a wrestling match with a football game, head coach James Franklin’s team has November home dates with Ohio State on Nov. 2, Washington on Nov. 9 and Maryland on Nov. 30. If the athletic department wanted to hold the wrestling match when football is away, Penn State is at Purdue on Nov. 16 and at Minnesota on Nov. 23. It could also choose to wrestle on a Friday or Sunday instead of a Saturday, in, again, the hypothetical world where such a thing is being planned. But, in all likelihood, if this was going to happen, it would probably be paired with a football game.
If the Lions decide to wrestle at Beaver Stadium, when might an announcement be made?
Don’t hold your breath waiting. The Big Ten typically announces its wrestling schedules after all other winter sports have their dates and opponents set. Last year, the conference did not release home and away opponents until July. And, the full slate with dates did not come until October. Of course, Penn State would need more time to market this event, should it choose to do so. Thus, an earlier-than-expected one-off scheduling announcement could take place if a Beaver Stadium match is in the works. If so, don’t expect it to be anytime soon, however, but rather sometime this summer.
