Penn State Football: 5 Most Important Post-Spring Dates

Penn State's Blue-White game has come and gone, but that does not mean Penn State faithful have no reason to be excited until September.

The Nittany Lions will continue training and working on their weaknesses. Injured players will regain their healthy form and breakout players will continue to emerge.

Before you know it, the 2012 regular season will be upon us.

Until then, here are five important dates to keep an eye on.

April 26-28: NFL Draft

The 2012 NFL draft kicked off last night and will continue through Saturday in what should be an action-packed three-day event.

The Nittany Lions do not boast any high-profile prospects outside of 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Devon Still, who is anticipated to go in the second or third round to a team seeking a 4-3 defensive tackle.

Other Penn State players in the 2012 draft field are Jack Crawford, D'Anton Lynn and Chaz Powell. Crawford is a potential Saturday selection. Lynn and Powell may go undrafted.

The 2012 NFL draft is worth tuning into for any college football fan. Penn State fans will not see a ton of their respective players coming off the board, but it will be fun nonetheless.

May 1: Season Ticket Renewal Deadline

Penn State fans have until May 1 to renew their beloved season tickets. Beaver Stadium is one of the best places to take in a game and fans will be lining up to make sure their season passes are good to go.

A new coaching regime and a fresh batch of players make 2012 season tickets enticing.

Beaver Stadium is known for getting loud, and being packed to the brim.

That will not change this year, or anytime in the near future.

First Week of August: Fall Practice Begins

The Blue-White game is over but that does not mean the preseason work stops for Nittany Lion players.

Players still must prove themselves in fall workouts. Bill O'Brien has not announced a specific date yet, but fall training camp should begin sometime in the August's first week.

Injured Nittany Lion players will be back in the fold, freshman will arrive on campus and position battles will be decided.

Spring practice is fun, but this is where things get very interesting. Nittany Lion fans should keep a close eye on how their roster shapes up throughout the final month of preseason.

Aug. 27: First Day of Classes

The workload for Penn State players gets heavier on Aug. 27. Classes begin for all Penn State students, and football players are no different.

Juggling a college workload along with football activities is not for the faint of heart. Players will be forced to stay focused and split their time between the gridiron and the classroom.

Players unable to focus on their academics risk ineligibility. This is just another thing to consider throughout the course of the season.

Sept. 1: First Regular-Season Game

Penn State opens the 2012 regular season against the Ohio Bobcats in front of a Beaver Stadium crowd. The time of the game is still up in the air.

The Nittany Lions will be amped up for this one. Players want to prove their superiority over this MAC opponent and coaches want to show off their new schemes in front of a raucous home crowd.

The Bobcats will not be an easy opponent. They will give the Nittany Lion defense a lot to handle, and Penn State's offense may not be ready to carry the load.

The season opener is always fun. This year will be no different.