Penn State AD Pat Kraft talks Beaver Stadium renovations, Big Ten expansion, culture and more

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft talks Beaver Stadium renovations, Big Ten expansion, culture and more during a press conference at Beaver Stadium on Dec. 20, 2023.

The family uh I’m going to just go through a couple things just because we’ve been so busy over the um the semester uh since I last saw all most of you in uh Indianapolis U but I I want to highlight a couple things uh that I think are really important for us and

Then we can get into it um however you guys want to however want to handle the questions so uh first and foremost uh we hopefully you all saw the graduation success rate of our student athletes 93% contining to do that at an incredibly high level um that always be the

Standard here um I’m I’m so proud of our athletes in this day and age there’s so much coming their way and they’re still absolutely crushing it in the classroom 13 of our teams had the perfect GSR uh we just found out I think yesterday four uh women’s soccer players were academic

All-americans one of our our male soccer players was an academic allamerican and then we’re waiting on the other fall Sports to come through so I’m just really proud of them football program record of 93% GSR so they there’re you know as we talk about competition and what’s happening all around us and and

It’s great you know talk about team achievements I think that is a true Testament to how hard our our student athletes work um you know both in and out of the classroom uh Team achievements we had 10 teams uh currently ranked right now uh whether it’s their current rankings or at the

End of the season our men’s soccer team I’m so proud of those guys and Jeff and the team uh they won the Big 10 championship in men’s soccer we had uh women’s cross country men’s cross country or women’s cross country got to the NCA championship men’s cross country

In the in regionals women’s soccer in the round of eight the elite eight had a tough game against Clemson uh women’s volleyball just finished up in a sweet 16 and obviously we all know that we’re going to a the Chick-fil-A Bowl so it was a really I’m proud of all our

Athletes at fall did a great job and I just came over from a 30-point win uh in women’s women’s Hoops ke’s team’s playing really well right now uh but that was a great shade just dropped 40 which is anytime you score 40 is impressive so I’m proud of of what

They’re doing over there as well you know our athletes you know one of the reasons why I want to bring this up too you know in the semester our our athletes putting in 3200 uh hours in the community service uh with our development enrichment program so you really really well-rounded group and I

Don’t think that when we talk about the 31 teams I think that’s so important to talk about how everybody is doing uh everything the right way and I’m so I’m so proud of them we talk about um some of the things just from a you all know hopefully how important um sport

Performance Health and Wellness is to me um we’ve added two full uh Time athletic performance coaches kind of decreased the load that we had and you have 833 athletes got to continue to focus on all of our Sports we just added we’ve added those positions over the semester um

We’ve converted four part-time trainers full-time so now we have a better uh I have I feel better about our grasp on on all 31 teams there and then you know we I’m proud of what we’ve experience with the four clinical psychologists has been amazing um and it’s been really

Remarkable how well they they’ve adapted and our athletes have adapted to to the challenges and being open and honest with themselves and with our clinical professionals we’re also working now to adding our Sports Performance uh portion to that but my priority 18 months ago

Was we had to get to mental health St uh really figured out so um you know I think we’re in a good spot there and we’ll continue to evaluate and grow and um we’ve we’ve had we’ve been very busy in the construction space and then uh

This will kind of I’ll wrap it up here um uh not only the the monster projects that you know we have going on but we we really invest a lot in nutrition stations we have five nutrition stations being created and built and those are not including the ones that lash that’s

That’s there Pula uh we have one now basically every athlete has has that we’re enhancing that obviously with Greenberg and the facility of Greenberg but now you know we’re impacting all 833 our student athletes from a nutrition standpoint that um was not the case prior to us being here and so uh we’re

We’re very happy whether it’s white the the white building multi for East area loot room uh they all have uh upto-date modern grab and go nutrition stations which I think is is incredibly important okay so let’s talk about just um may obviously um projects were were uh went

To the board certain projects obviously Beaver Stadium let me just I’ll I’ll talk about Beaver Stadium real quick we’re 30% into construct design of this building uh this is like building a village uh so I’m not trying to not answer any of your questions but I haven’t even briefed the board or Neely

On where we are with Beaver Stadium uh this is a maor major project um literally 30% is like where are the pipes going where do you got circulation so I just you know that one is ongoing um we feel really good about where we’re headed but literally we are looking at

Everything in this building um it it from the East Concourse to the main Concourse to to bathrooms to the west side to the premium to I mean there is not a thing we’re not evaluating in this process so I just want to want to head

That off at the past um but you know just as important we’re 75% through design with Greenberg um which will be uh our Physical Therapy Health and Wellness Recovery suite for all 833 athletes it’ll be the home of training table for all of our athletes um so we

Are close to finishing that up we’re finishing up the fundraising uh our goal is to have that uh ready to go and fall of 2025 try to break ground as we continue this momentum in at some point in this summer Jeffrey field you’ve heard me talk about it we’re 90% through

That design um we feel really good we’re closing up on the on the the finance of this philanthropical and and capital gifts there um we it will have locker room athletic training strength training team meeting rooms office suite concessions locations enhanced bathrooms which will help us on game day as well

In that Corridor there um but we’re really excited what that’s going to look like um it’s the way it should be for Erica and Jeff when you have two nationally uh ranked and National Championship caliber teams they will have the facility they those two athletes deserve um and I know you

Probably are noticing some construction over at medler though it’s a little different not truly our uh facility if you will uh but it’s a phase construction project uh we began uh with the plane surface which I think Gambino put out there and play byplay of that uh but we’re upgrading the lights putting

The new scoreboard in with the spikes we’re working hand inand with that and then the next phases will include locker room Clubhouse athletic training indoor training area and Recovery spaces uh in joint partnership with the spikes uh the spikes there so that’s been really good

And then finally uh I don’t know if I said East area locker room um where we house really we run about 500 athletes through that space in that weit room um we are really close that one’s almost done um we I think we’re going to hopefully go out for CM soon uh that

Will be an enhanced Training Table I mean excuse me an enhanced Nutrition Center much improved Sports Performance area a much improved weight room um where that houses uh the two lacrosse is of field hockey um that building is taking a total transformation and we hope to start that um actually here in

In January February if we can get things lined up permit and all that all right I felt a little bit like James doing that uh all right we’ll start with Mark and then we’ll go to Tyler Pat we still haven’t seen you and Andy in the same room together uh my

Man in all seriousness U James had mentioned some expressed some concerns about the transfer portal and the word he used was tampering uh what recourse do do schools have and and have have you brought this up specifically among your fellow ads and other leadership yeah it’s a great question uh it’s everywhere

Now and yes we we talk talk about it at nauseum I I think it is we we we say this but it really is the ww west right now um I’ll give you a perfect example um we were in uh Las Vegas for U’s uh award uh you know he was nominated and

For the Campbell Trophy and on our way there we got an email of eight athletes one of which was our own who was not in the portal and an agent was saying hey are you interested in them one of them was and it’s not in the portal was just shopping athletes around

I was not very happy that that’s happening and went to the NCA officials there and said how you know we shared it with them so we’re trying to kind of communicate everything that we see but in and it’s hard because some people are showing it to

You some people aren’t you know and it’s just a really difficult spot to be in and they’re putting the student athletes in a really tough spot too um but I do think we are the tampering is real and and um you know I I had a conversation with

With uh someone the other day and they said listen the rules that are being made are actually actually hurting the people that follow the rules because we’re trying everyone’s trying to do what’s right and so um I think James you know now I’m proud of them what they did

This this class they did an amazing job he does a great job with that you guys can talk about that later today but yeah it’s real and we try to just hand it over and say Here’s what we’re finding and I I got away the sa in the data but

It is a topic all the way I mean every talking about coaches ads everybody in the business Tyler the pi hey P how are you good I think we’ve asked James a few times about how you have kind of handled the navigation of adding a coordinator or high-profile assistant coach curious

You just saw twice in a one month span what does it look like when James Franklin he called a full-time job he had two of them then what as much as you can peel back the curtain setting can you can you feel back the Cur yeah it you know it’s an interesting question

And was like what two in like two weeks um my guy he is so prepared for these moments which is a weird right like he just knows what I need um it’s how he attacks everything and it was great to go through this process because you just

Don’t know right it’s not my I said this the other day I’m here just to support them and help and be a sounding board but um very analytical starts with the analytics what’s the right fit and and how to you know the defensive coordinator right we’re a four down team

That’s who we are and that’s where we’ve had success so that’s probably got to be a piece of it right I’m probably giving too much he’s look at look how upset KP is um but I do think he’s very very focused on that and then it you start

With the big list and you just start with and then it all becomes who’s the right fit who who comes in this building and fits the the I cannot express to you that building works at such a high level and it is such a good group of people

That he is never going to turn the keys over to someone that just doesn’t fit in that building for whatever reason and so it’s very systematic it’s very thoughtful all the things that you would assume um and then you know when he makes this decision he he makes it but

He he takes um he he calls friends of people and gets different perspective it’s no different than how I would hand or how I handle uh head coaching seches um but he doesn’t really I it’s it was really good to go through it with him

And he doesn’t get phased by I mean he just he has his process it’s like everything else right it’s the one to know here’s how we’re going to handle it and it’s true to form and everything he does pickle then Ben Pat you mentioned the Bieber Stadium project but another

One that you went to the board about was lash and doing work on the second floor there so have you started that yet and what’s your timeline for that yeah uh actually that’s a good point yeah they’re under construction there now in fact I was just over with James James is

Moving his office out everyone’s moving their offices so once we head out here on Saturday they’ll start to to really move on the construction it’s a great question on timetable I I don’t know you know it it’s everything’s probably around 12 18 months just honestly how it

Works um but we’re yeah yeah so but that that yeah that’s actually starting they’re already doing prep work over there now so yeah he’s he’s they’re moving offices moving the time space the hey how’s it good um wouldn’t be a press conference with out an nil question as the numbers fly around for

What it takes to do roster retention do you think it’s good or sustainable for the sport to have effectively outsourced that budget to fans through collectives no no I I don’t I I uh I think you know thankfully I’m not I’m only spending probably 30% of my time dealing

With this uh nil space uh which was vastly different when I first got here um but no I don’t think that’s the right way and I think everybody would say that um I’ve said it repeatedly i i i this is the one area where we don’t have I I

Can’t help our kids in the way I want to help our our student athletes and um it goes back to the tampering question and what’s going on and no I I don’t think that’s it’s not the way it should be um so we’ll see how it evolves right I

Think it’s still evolving I think we’re right in the middle of this spinning world that we’re in the NCA and I think it’s just a matter of where where it ends up Val Pat over here um hey going off tampering and I all of that you’re there’s a lot more people in college

Sports than there used to be different Industries Industries things um people in general right when you think about preserving a culture in an athletic department of this size with so many different voices how do you go about doing that because you can’t completely avoid nil avoid those things well and

It’s not like you’re trying to avoid nil but what you’re trying because it’s I look at we all believe in nil I think it’s the right thing name image like our athlete should be able to do that when you play in front of 110,000 or you play in continued wrestling sellout crowds or

Erica’s teams so I think that that that’s it it’s a but your your point about culture is so important it’s why I love being the athletic director of Penn State because I just rattle off all these things that our athletes have been able to do off off the field you know

And our coaches are at a high level where that culture piece really is important and I think you have to be really honest with your student athletes you have to be honest with your process don’t get caught up in all the other stuff and and and find a way to continue

To just um do it the way that you believe can can sustain because I don’t think that’s a sustainable model of just paying a player here and because locker rooms are challenging and you’re hearing from everybody you hit it on that there’s always another thing out there that someone else has started another

Agency someone else has started and you got to run all those leads down you got to but I think we’re I believe with my 833 student athletes and our coaches that we have a place that hopefully they can be honest with us hopefully they feel that that there’s trust and that

We’re building a culture that we’re all in it together and um I think that communication is such an important piece to it like any other organization and so it’s it’s a challenge there’s a lot of people trying to infiltrate that um and and I think James does a remarkable job

I think all of our coaches really kale everybody does a remarkable job of trying to do that and you can’t bat a thousand but I think that culture piecing reference is so important and that’s why I love being here because there’s no undue pressure just do it the

Right way take your time do it the right way get the right you can we have everything that you can recruit the best it’s been proven so yeah I think that culture piece is so important Neil and then Ryan hey hey um you have Super Bowl ring there oh this

Is just my wrestling National Championship Ring of which I had nothing to do with I was along for the ride I think kale and the boys uh James made his comments last week uh about the tampering and whatnot and uh Chip Kelly uh had a little video it seems that uh a

Lot of high-profile people in college football are screaming for leadership um what is the next step for ads and Commissioners to be working can you work with the NCAA or is it just independent of that no yeah I think you’re you are seeing it which goes back to that

Question of like everybody’s feeling it right uh we we and and the Big 10 is and and Tony son really good job sometimes you know it’s it’s nice to have an outset an outside set of eyes on some of the issues that you know we’ve been ingrained with forever um I think you

Know Governor Baker’s trying his hardest to figure it out and work through it we have to work with them um Tony has done a really good job of working behind the scenes with the other Commissioners I think it’s not as easy to solve as I think we all know but we

Know we have to fix it this just can’t it’s not not sustainable and it’s not the right course of action and so what that is I think we all we could take I mean honestly like that is as much as the time here on campus is you know

Talking about nil and the collectives as well nationally it’s become in our national meetings like a real priority we we we and so basically to answer your question yes we’re all working at every angle you know you see the work that’s that that uh the Commissioners are

Meeting with Congress and trying to get everybody in to say okay I think we’ve had enough how do we address it and there’s just so many layers to it though and so that that becomes an inherent Challenge and we’re living through it right we’re living through the real

Time uh life of this whole kind of chaos which is hard ran and then uh Johnny hey P over here in the back with the Beaver Stadium Renovations have you guys discussed the possibility of maybe having an outdoor hockey game there have you maybe inquired the NHL about maybe bringing

Winter class to beer St when all said and done 100% well yes now the pro so the winterization is occurring as we speak so that was kind of ongoing so from that perspective from the renovation we should be good we’re going to be good with that um as you can see

With Luke Holmes like we have to use this building more I would sign up right here for a a a hockey game in this building you know today um like everything else just takes a lot of moving Parts um and and work at D NHL but um I think it was a great

Opportunity to do that yes and and we’re open they know we’re open to it um but we’ve got to continue to to to use this building to generate revenue and and look at I I I’ve told you I love this building I think it’s time that we we

Open the doors and do we did some yoga we did Lion King we did we’re going to continue to do different um uh ideas like that I think Luke Holmes always the biggest example of of what we’re trying to lean into there’s other things outside of Just Hockey uh that I’m I’m

Not yet privy to tell you I would I’m very transparent but it’s not done I’m a z00 on the clock guy when it comes to these contracts but we’re trying to get others engaged and remember you got to have a special event to sell this building like it’s just not for

Everybody and there’s certain events that you could could handle the the the volume of this building right Johnny then smelter P right here in the middle off to your right s so not in the middle um um you know you talked about the coordinators earlier with Andy

Specifically a guy coming from Kansas in a really secure you know situation there with his contract and a reported decent buyout I guess what does that say about you guys with where you’re at right now that you’re able to lure a guy like that out of a pretty comfortable situation

And and get in here yeah um I mean it’s pen State football I hate to just be that bold um I think it’s honestly I think it’s a testament to who we have in that building you know um starting with James but the athletes and the and the student

Athletes that we have in there that that you want to come in and you’re like I’ll work with that group uh I I I’ll go you know see if I can help them and and uh he was and he’s he was with Lance for a

Long time and but his story is great I heard that story about the helmet and uh I too ran into trees with my head so we are very s um so but I do think it just shows like where we where we are like we

We are a top 10 program we are we are fighting to win a National Championship and that we are going to that is our Focus we’re going to continue to focus we’re going to hire the best people um to do that and I think uh I hope Andy

Saw that in the process and saw that this was a great opportunity for him and uh when you start to get around our our you know James’s team meaning staff and players are like oh yeah that’s special and so um but it yeah he they they did

Everything they could and um we’re just really happy that it worked out he’s a great fit metal smelter then Ben P I know this year isn’t over yet but with your first full calendar year about to wrap up as Penn State’s AB how would you say things have gone from a personal

Standpoint and what are you going to be taking away into 2024 uh that’s you know personally I I love it uh my kids love school which they don’t get that from their father um but they do they love we love Happy Valley it’s an amazing place I’m not

Just saying that we we we truly my wife Betsy and and and you know being in the community it really was a game changer for us to be in our house um that helped us kind of get out of the rental and establish our kind of roots and being

Engaged and everything in town but we we really do love it um you know it’s just we have so much to accomplish professionally that my staff know thisp in particular like I I’m a grinder like I see what we can achieve every single day here I get goosebumps putting on

Penn State gear and so like I just can’t stop like I just can’t like and that’s 31 Deep we were on a golf call last night like we got all these projects going and we’re talking about other projects for golf and I’m talking about what we can do to enhance wrestling and

What can we do to enhance uh track and field what like because you can feel it like you can see we can win and we can achieve so many incredible things that I think you all deserve that our lungs deserve and it’s like there’s no ceiling

Here and and so for me it’s so exciting but you got to work within the process that’s in front of you which is like anywhere and so I think it’s been really really um exciting I mean look at I floated for two weeks after went in

The Rose as a big 10 kid to win the rose B I never thought I’d do that and um you know being around C and and that our wrestling program like it’s amazing and having the Good Fortune to be with our student athletes which is the best piece

And going on this journey three final fors last year and and and being able to help them with some of the stuff that we’re doing is is really been an amazing thing so I I I I’m very energized I’m I’m excited about our future I truly believe we haven’t even gotten started

Yet I think it takes two years really to get the foundation established um where people aren’t like tiptoeing around me like they probably still do that K still do uh but I think we’re starting to really get into a stride to really get to where we we we go so I appreciate the

Question um it’s every day is and you know what I will say it’s bigger than I thought I don’t know if I said this before but like you go on the road and you I don’t care what sport and you see Penn State and nney Nation there I mean

Like at football games and like I knew it was big I knew it was a passionate base but it is bigger I tell people all the time like I’m like you you have no idea what we do for seven days not not me but what our team does to put on the

Events for seven football Saturdays here is short of miraculous and to have as many people come in and to be passionate win or lose I would rather have everybody passionate um is truly an incredible thing and this building I good now this building when you know this football season was just and I

Don’t know how that ever gets old and I tell everyone Nick NOS is said don’t take this for granted because there’s a lot of people that want be where we are um and so it’s very special the whole thing is very special to me go last question to Ben uh I wouldn’t

Underestimate KV by way true text at OD hours of the night um from a football perspective you could argue that all four teams joining the Big 10 are closer to you than not the repercussions of that fact for you are inant I don’t care I don’t care I’m

Worried about one thing us we control our own f they are I’m not that’s not disparaging them at all it’s just what am I you know what are you going to do got I get better I I you know it’s like it’s a pen State thing it’s not an Oregon thing

Ain’t UCLA ain’t about SC it ain’t about Washington it’s a Penn State thing we got to be Penn State and that’s going back to your question we win the whole thing we just got to keep focusing on doing what’s right for us and it’s dealing with all of this that’s going

Around and deal with the culture issue that you talk about continuing to bring the right kids I want to run through a wall and fight through it and are passionate like we have um so I I I and that’s not I’m not making that up I don’t lose

Sleepable I may have if I was in other jobs not here I mean and that’s by the way it’s not just a football thing baseball’s gotten a lot better basketball’s going to get volleyball’s I mean all of our sports soccer is going to get more challenging okay at Penn State we’ll go

31 Deep we’ll just keep getting better but all of these things I mentioned to you have to get done we have to get all of these the the nutrition the travel the the mental health support the physical support all of those things have to get done or we won’t be able to

Achieve what we want to do that’s why I’m so aggressive in getting all this to get it ready so that we can attack those cuz they’re they’re they’re coming and it’s it’s it’s going to be a different day um one that we’re all excited about thank you very much P thanks everyone

Hey I appreciate yall I know you go everywhere