Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A thletics director Patrick Kraft has signed a contract extension that will keep him in State College through 2032. Penn State announced the new pact in late August, the start of Kraft's third academic year overseeing the university's athletics department. Kraft took charge at PSU in July 2022, succeeding Sandy Barbour after two years at Boston College. In that time, there have been major changes within the athlet- ics department and in college sports as a whole. However, the growth that the athletics program has seen in a variety of areas has made Kraft a popular figure with both coaches and fans. "I am deeply thankful to President [Neeli] Bendapudi and the Board of Trust- ees for their unwavering support of our intercollegiate athletics program and our leadership team," Kraft said in a prepared statement. "Penn State is a remarkable place, made so by its incredible people — our talented student-athletes, dedicated coaches and staff, passionate supporters and engaged community members. I am excited for us all to continue working to- gether to elevate Penn State athletics and the university as a whole." Kraft's original deal extended through 2027. The new one will have an average annual guaranteed compensation of $2.26 million per year for the duration of its eight-year term, with additional perfor- mance-based bonuses of up to $350,000 annually. The incentives will be for what Penn State described as "academic and competitive excellence." PSU officials worked with the consult- ing firm Segal to conduct a nationwide analysis of NCAA Division I athletics directors' compensation to establish the terms of the new contract. The news of Kraft's extension was well-received by Penn State head football coach James Franklin. The Lions' 11th- year mentor has now worked with three athletics directors during his time at PSU and said he was pleased to see Kraft re- ceive a longer deal. "I think stability in college athletics and college football has a chance to be a differentiator like probably never be- fore," Franklin said. "It's always been a differentiator if you look at certain pro- grams across the country, but now it's magnified even more with the amount of turnover that you see." Franklin added that Kraft has quickly acclimated to Penn State's culture while also bringing an understanding of the evolution that is currently reshaping many aspects of college sports. "He understands college athletics and the changes that we're undergoing right now," Franklin said. "That stability in the lead position in our athletic depart- ment is critical. So, I think it was strate- gically the right thing to do." The first few years of Franklin's tenure in State College presented some chal- lenges. Many of the program's facilities were overdue for upgrades, and Penn State needed to be able to retain assis- tant coaches when they received offers from other programs. In addition, Penn State needed to ensure that its overall football staffing was comparable to its rivals. Many of those concerns have been addressed in recent years, and while some of Penn State's facilities improve- ments were underway prior to his ar- rival, there has been a big commitment under Kraft to continue those efforts. The university is about to spend $700 million to rebuild large portions of Bea- ver Stadium, and additional projects have been approved to upgrade Jeffrey Field and the Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex and build an indoor practice bubble for use by the winter and spring sports teams. Franklin said that having an athlet- ics director like Kraft has played a big role in helping Penn State grow all of its varsity programs. "We've got a man leading the depart- ment who is a competitor. I'm talking about a fierce competitor in everything he does, and that's important," Franklin said. "Whether that's women's soccer or fencing or college football or wres- tling, that's important. To have some- body who can relate, who understands the challenges, who wants to come up with solutions [is a key to success]." Of course, all the changes that have taken place in college sports also pres- ent challenges. Kraft and deputy athlet- ics director Vinnie James have worked to help Penn State weather them without always involving the coaches them- selves. "One of the things that has stood out to me is Pat and Vinnie's ability to find solutions for problems that we've had for a number of years, and even bringing some ideas to the coaches without the coaches having to come up with those ideas," Franklin said. "I think it's really good for the university. It's really good for the athletic department, and I think it's the right thing to do strategically for Penn State moving forward. So, I'm very, very happy about it." ■ Since his arrival at Penn State in 2022, Kraft has been involved in six construction projects aimed at upgrading the Nittany Lions' facilities. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Penn State Extends Patrick Kraft's Contract Through 2032 RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M