Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State athletics director Patrick Kraft entered the fall sports season anticipating a competitive year across the department. Three early Big Ten losses by the football team have tested the hopeful spirit of the PSU fan com- munity — and at a particularly inoppor- tune time — but within the university administration, sustainable long-term success remains the overriding goal. Matt Campbell's first Penn State team opened with wins over Marshall, Temple and Buffalo before losing to Wisconsin, 24-20, on Sept. 26, at Northwestern, 34-13, on Oct. 2 and to USC in the an- nual White Out game, 31-23, on Oct. 10. The loss to the Wildcats was particularly disheartening, with the hosts rushing for 413 yards and finishing with 506 yards of total offense in the first game at their new stadium. While the ups and downs of a given season are inevitably going to make the biggest headlines, Kraft said at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago this past July that he was trying to keep the bigger picture in view. "Too many times in sport, we look at the here and now, what's directly in front of you," he said. "My job is to look one year, two years, three years, four years down the road, and the positives for me outweigh the negatives that I see. I think we're going to roll into a really, really competitive fall." Kraft's outlook extended beyond foot- ball. He pointed to coach Erica Dam- bach's women's soccer program, first- year men's soccer coach Rob Dow and Katie Schumacher-Cawley's women's volleyball team as reasons for his confi- dence. Said Kraft, "I think we're poised to have a really exciting year." The early results have been mixed. Dow's team was 2-7-1 overall and 0-5-1 in Big Ten play through Oct. 9. The women's volleyball team was ranked No. 18 when it swept No. 20 Washington on Oct. 11, while the field hockey squad stood at 8-4. The women's ice hockey team, fresh off its first Frozen Four appearance earlier this year, opened with two 2-1 losses to No. 2 Ohio State, then beat Robert Morris, 5-3 and 4-1, in its first Atlantic Hockey America games of the season. The football team's slow start comes as Kraft oversees the final stages of the Beaver Stadium project. Approved by trustees in May 2024 at a cost of up to $700 million, the renovation is intended to address aging infrastructure and gen- erate revenue for Penn State's 31 varsity sports programs. The university has said the project will be paid for entirely by Intercollegiate Athletics, with no tuition dollars or edu- cational budget funds used. Its funding plan includes donations, concessions, naming opportunities, sponsorships and ticket sales, including new premium seating. Penn State also said the work would address approximately $200 million in deferred maintenance. That makes the project both an infrastructure invest- ment and an effort to expand the stadi- um's revenue sources beyond its existing seating and amenities. The rebuilt west side will include wider concourses, additional restrooms and concessions, elevators, escalators and pedestrian ramps. Approximately 75 percent of the seating on that side is designated as nonpremium. Suites, loge boxes and two club spaces will provide higher-priced options, with the clubs also available for private events through- out the year. Kraft, who arrived from Boston Col- lege in July 2022, received a contract extension in August 2024 that runs through June 30, 2032. When Penn State announced the extension, university leaders cited fundraising, athlete sup- port and the stadium project among his accomplishments. But as is the case at many Power Four programs, the state of the football pro- gram is the ultimate measuring stick. The university last year fired a coach who was tied for the second-most wins in program history. The fact that James Franklin's 104 victories weren't enough to prolong his tenure illustrates just how high the bar has been set. Like his predecessor, Campbell has encountered some difficulties in Year 1. Fans are restless, and the stadium project has added to the sense of urgency. Penn State needs to fill those upgraded seats when they're complete in 2027, and that task will be considerably harder if the Li- ons are coming off a disappointing sea- son. Still, Kraft is mindful that adversity is an inevitable part of the process. "It's sport," he said. "It's the only real reality show out there. And what life and things throw at you, you have to handle it." ■ AD Patrick Kraft Focused On PSU's Long-Term Success G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Kraft was on hand for the "topping out" ceremony at Beaver Stadium this past June in which the project's last structural support beam was lowered into place. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS