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#PennState Athletics Director Pat Kraft talks with the media on National Signing Day about recruiting, James Franklin’s offseason, Beaver Stadium updates and more.
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Not so good after every afternoon everyone make sure you turn your cell phones to vibrate off or mute yeah including you over there I know um and then we’ll start with an opening statement from Pep I know I’m I’m gonna steal something from my man James I’m gonna give you a couple bullets
Before uh uh no it’s good I appreciate youall coming I do uh jokes aside I know you got a lot going on um big day in the college football space with um Signing Day and and I’m excited for you all uh to get a chance to to talk to Tom Allen
Which um we’re you know we’re all excited for him to to be joining the 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 uh however want to do the handle of the questions so uh first and foremost uh we
Hopefully you all saw the graduation success rate of our student athletes 93% continuing to do that at an an incredibly high level um that will always be the standard here um I’m I’m so proud of our athletes I think that 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 All-American and then we’re waiting on the other fall
Sports to come through so I’m just really proud of them football at a program record are 93% GSR so they’re they’re you know as we talk about competition and what’s happening all around us and and it’s great you know um we’ll 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 championships men’s cross country to the NCA 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 the sweet 16 and obviously we all know that we’re going to uh the Chick-fil-A Bowl so it was a really I’m proud of all of our athletes as fall did
A great job and I just came over from a 30-point win uh in women’s women’s Hoops keegs 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 and you know in a semester our our athletes put in 3200 uh hours in the community service uh with our development enrichment program and so you we’re 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 uh health and wellness is to me um we we’ve added two full uh Time athletic performance coaches kind of decreased the load that we had when you have 833 athletes we got to continue to focus on all of our Sports we we just
Added we’ve added those positions over the semester um we’ve converted four part-time trainers to 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 experienced with the four clinical
Psychologists has been amazing um and it’s been really remarkable how well 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 the mental health stuff 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 um not only the the monster projects that you know we have going on but we we really invested a lot in nutrition stations we have five nutrition stations being created or built uh those are not including the ones that lash that’s
That’s there uh Pula uh we have one now basically every athlete has has that we’re enhancing that obviously with Greenberg and the facility at Greenberg but now you know we’re impacting all 833 of 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 multiport East area locker room uh they all have uh up-to-date modern grab Ando nutrition stations which I think is is incred 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 constru 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 major 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 from the East Concourse to the main Concourse to to bathrooms to the west side to the premium to the 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 pass 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 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 finances philanthropical and and capital gifts there um we it will have locker room athletic training strength training team meeting rooms office suite concessions locations enhan 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 and National Championship caliber teams they will have the facility they those student athletes deserve um and I know you probably are
Noticing uh 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 the 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 um the spikes there so that’s been really good
And then finally uh I don’t know if I said the East area locker room um where we house really we run about 500 athletes through that space in that weight 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 uh much improved weight room um where that houses uh the two lacrosse is 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 uh permit and all that all right raise your hand I felt a little bit like James doing that uh 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 is it uh my man hey ganger in all seriousness um 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 and other leadership yeah it’s a great question uh it’s everywhere now and yes we we talk about it at nauseum I I think it is we we we say this but it really is the wow wow 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 uh 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 is 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 we shared it with them so we’re trying to kind of
Communicate everything that we see but in the and it’s hard because some people are showing that 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 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 to 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 with the this this class I think they did an amazing job he does a great job with that and 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 gotta believe the NCA is getting inundated with it but it is a topic all the way I mean everybody’s talking about it coaches ads everybody in the business Tyler then pickle hey Pat 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 it twice in a one- Monon span what does it look like when James Franklin he called it a full-time job he
Had two of them then what if as much as you can back the curtain setting can you can you peel back the curtain 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 with 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 and 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 probably gonna be upset look at that look how upset KP is um but I do think he’s very very focused on that and then it you you start with the big list and you just start the whe
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’s 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 searches um but he does a really I 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 and0 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 Beaver Stadium project but another one that you 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 that’s a good but yeah they’re under construction they’re 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 KP do you know that the it it’s everything’s probably around 12 18 months just honestly how it works um but we’re summer yeah is it summer 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 into temp space Ben then Ally hey how’s it going good um wouldn’t be a press conference without without 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 I’m 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 um 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 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 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 in the NCA and I think it’s just a matter of where it where it ends up Ali then Neil Pat over here um hey going off tampering n
All of that you’re there’s a lot more people in college sports and there used to be different Industries Industries thing 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 or 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 and like this our athlet should be able to do that when
You play in front of 110,000 or you play a continued wrestling sellout crowds or Erica’s teams who are Elite so I think that that that’s it it’s a but it your your point about culture is so important it’s why I love being the athletic director at Penn State because I just
Rattled off all these things that our athletes have been able to do off the 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 and 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 and because locker rooms
Are challenging and you’re hearing from everybody you hit it on the that there’s always another thing out there that someone else has started another agency someone else has start 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 piece reference is so important and that’s why I love being here because there’s no undue pressure you 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 um yeah I think that culture piece is so important Neil and then Ryan hey Pat hey um you have a Super Bowl ring there or oh ho this is just my wrestling national championship ring uh of which I had nothing to do with I was
Along for the ride I think kale boys uh James made his comments last week uh about the tampering and whatnot and uh Chip Kelly uh had a little video and 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’s done a 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
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 has kind 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 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 involved 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 ex life of this whole kind of chaos which is
Hard Brian and then uh Johnny hey Pat over here in the back um with the Beaver Stadium Renovations have you guys discussed the possibility of maybe having an outdoor hockey game there and you have you maybe inquired with the NHL about maybe bringing a Winter Classic to Beaver Stadium when
All said and done 100% well yes now the project so the winterization is occurring as we speak so that was kind of ongoing so from that perspective from the 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 working with the NHL but um I think there’s 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 it’s 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 luko is 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 z z 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 yeah Pat right here in the Middle where we off to your right sorry so not in the middle uh
Um you you know you talked about the coordinators earlier uh 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 him here yeah um I mean it’s Penn State football I hate to just be that bold um I think it’s a honestly I think it’s a testament to who we have in
That building you know um in starting with James but the athletes and the and the student athletes that we have in there that that you want to come in there you’re like uh 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 I his story is great I had heard that story about the helmet and uh I too ran into trees with my head so we are very similar um so but I do think it
Just shows I where we where we are like we we are a top 10 program we are we are fighting to win a National Championship and at 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’ team meaning staff and players you’re 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 though smelter then Ben Pat I know this year isn’t over yet but with your first full calendar year about to
Wrap up as Penn State’s ad 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 uh 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 would know this KP in particular like I I’m a
Grinder like I see what we can achieve every single day here I get goosebumps putting on the 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 and what can 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 Lums 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 in the Rose Bowl as a big 10 kid to win the Rose Bowl I never thought I’d do that and um you know being around kale Sanderson and and that our wrestling program like it’s amazing and and having
The Good Fortune to be with our student athletes which is the best piece and going on this journey three final fours 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 uh they probably still do that KP
Still does um 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 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 I actually have Goosebumps now this building when ni you know this football season was just and I don’t know how that ever gets old and I tell
Everyone Nick knows it’s like don’t take this for granted because there’s a lot of people that want to be where we are um and so it’s very special the whole thing is very special to me we go last question to Ben uh I wouldn’t underestimate KP by the way that’s how
You get true text at odd hours of the night wor 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 insignificant I don’t care I don’t care I’m worried about one thing us we
Control our own fate they are I’m not that’s not disparaging them at all it’s just what am I you know what are you gonna do gotta get better I I you know it’s like it’s a Penn State thing it’s not an Oregon thing ain’t UCLA it ain’t
About SE 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 can win the whole thing we 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 and continuing to bring the right kids that 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 sleep over them 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 challenged
Ing okay I’m 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 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 and getting all this to get it ready so that we can attack those CU they’re they’re they’re coming and it’s it’s it’s going to be a
Different day day um one that we’re all excited about thank you very much Pat thanks everyone hey I appreciate yall I know you go everywhere I know it’s not easy but I get it and I do appreciate you because here is like no other place
And I know KP makes it hard on you um but I I do hope you have a wonderful holiday season those of you in the Atlanta I hope to see you but thank you very much for what you all do it really is truly important okay so thanks have a
Great holiday everyone coacha and momentarily who’s next oh
1 Comment
Fire James Franklin.