Penn State Football: West Shore Home CEO Discusses Beaver Stadium Deal

Penn State on Monday announced a $50 million naming-rights deal that will lengthen the official name of the home of Penn State football. Beginning with the 2025 season, the Nittany Lions will play at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, as the Pennsylvania-based home remodeling company acquired the naming rights to Beaver Stadium's field for 15 years.

B.J. Werzyn, founder and CEO of West Shore Home, appeared on Tuesday's edition of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast to discuss the deal, which he called a "win-win-win" for Penn State, his company and their long-standing partnership. Werzyn also addressed the conversation around Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium, an option some Penn State trustees preferred and debated during Monday's board meeting.

Former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin told fellow trustees that they were "trying to erase" Joe Paterno's legacy by choosing not to name the Beaver Stadium field after him. In his appearance on Tucker's podcast, Werzyn, a 1999 Penn State graduate, said this partnership was "the absolute best thing for the football team, for the athletic department and the university."

"We’re just looking forward to helping the university achieve academic, athletic and philanthropic excellence," Werzyn said. "... Nothing that we're doing here is trying to tarnish [Paterno's] legacy, erase his legacy. Anybody that grew up a Penn State fan has nothing but respect for coach Paterno's legacy. But this is more about West Shore Home building their own legacy and how we can build a legacy of service to the Penn State community."

Werzyn also referenced a social media post by former Mike Mauti, the former Penn State All-America linebacker. Mauti, who works in development for the Nittany Lion Club, said that the "best way" to honor Paterno was for Penn State to "go win a national title."

"I think it was well said and I really appreciate that," Werzyn told Tucker in the interview. "And I hope most people do understand that getting Paterno’s name on the field probably wasn’t going to happen or be a reality, so this was the absolute best thing for the football team, for the athletic department and the university."

In addition to the naming rights deal, Werzyn also partnered with Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology and the Nittany AI Alliance to provide students with internship opportunities at West Shore Home. As for Beaver Stadium, Werzyn said the $700 million renovation would create opportunties to host more concerts and sporting events, including a potential NHL Stadium Series game. He also dropped an interesting note about the potential capacity for Beaver Stadium once the renovation is complete in 2027.

"To be able to attach our brand to what will be the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, and an iconic stadium for one of the best football programs in the country, it just was a no-brainer," Werzyn said in the interview.

Check out Tucker's full interview with Werzyn here.