Penn State Rising: 'We Are Really Powerful,' Athletic Director Says
Patrick Kraft expected to exhale for the first time after 24 months as Penn State's athletic director, considering the breadth of project management he had planned. Kraft wanted to build new facilities, rebuild Beaver Stadium, improve strength and nutrition programs, jumpstart the NIL situation, generate more revenue streams, extend academic progress and, yes, win more championships. Having just begun Year 2 at Penn State, Kraft still runs at high gear but paused briefly to consider the athletic department's accomplishments in his first year.
Penn State finished the 2022-23 sports calendar 15th in the Learfield Director's Cup, won a national championship (in wrestling), made three Final Four and seven conference-championship appearances, won the Rose Bowl, had 16 teams ranked and sent 20 to their respective NCAA tournaments. It also embarked on a $700 million plan to renovate Beaver Stadium, invested $90 million more in other athletics projects, merged its NIL collectives and has much more planned. Like better WiFi in Beaver Stadium, Kraft promised.
So at the Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, Kraft reflected on his 24-month plan and how, in several ways, it's ahead of schedule. He also took stock of the $181 million athletic department and envisioned an arc that could produce significantly more success as long "we get out of our own way."
"We are really powerful," Kraft told reporters in Indianapolis, "... and we're just getting started. When we really get rolling, the Penn State community, the brand and the power of it, there is no ceiling here."
Kraft is juggling a broad portfolio of athletic department projects, not the least of which is the upcoming football season. Here's where Penn State stands on a host of those.
The 'behemoth' that is football
Kraft wanted this known: Penn State has sold nearly 94,000 season tickets for the 2023 football season and, according to the athletic director, has about 7,000 single-game seats available for the entire season. Student season tickets recently sold out at a usually swift pace. Further, interest in the Tunnel Club, a new premium space at Beaver Stadium, has been intense. Kraft said that the first 30 Tunnel Club memberships (the venue's limit) were sold and that the space likely will be expanded next year. And the proposal began with a simple email to season-ticket holders.
"We don’t have very much premium in the building, so we’re trying to find unique ways to create revenue, right?" Kraft said. "And I think it was like 100 and 150 emails in an hour saying they wanted in. We were like, what?"
That story prompted Kraft to reference the "behemoth" that is a Penn State football season. He called the season-ticket numbers "incredible" and promised the Sept. 2 opener against West Virginia would be "electric." Kraft also said the athletic department is working on stadium enhancements, notably improved WiFi and better in-stadium traffic flow for fans trying to buy beer. Occasionally during the first season of beer sales at Beaver Stadium, officials shut down vendors because of congestion on the concourse. Outside consultants studied the issues and have recommended procedures to improve the experience this fall.
'I need you to give to the collective'
Penn State's two primary NIL collectives, Lions Legacy Club and Success With Honor, merged this spring to form Happy Valley United. Kraft encouraged the merger and said he has seen benefits. The new collective is hiring a CEO and fundraisers to generate more revenue-opportunities for athletes and operate as a business.
Though football coach James Franklin said in an interview with Adam Breneman that his program was two years behind others regarding NIL, Kraft said Penn State in general is "making up ground and at a pretty good clip." He also reminded fans that donating to the NIL collective is not only permitted but also necessary. In fact, Kraft called NIL "the new scholarships" in terms of fundraising.
"I’ve said from the very beginning, [NIL] is just different to all of us," Kraft said. "You’re like, 'Wait, you have a $100,000 BMW?' That was like no, stay away from it. So just the reality of just changing the whole tone and tenor toward athletes making money, which we all believe is the right thing to do, it’s just taken time for us to move this battleship to say, 'No it’s OK. This is OK.' ... I will say this right now: It’s OK to give to the collective, I need you to give to the collective. If that’s something you want to do, that’s OK. You also can give to scholarships, you also can give to the facilities. We’ve got to let that go."
Beaver Stadium renovation plans taking shape
Penn State soon will announce the design, architect and construction firms that will shape Beaver Stadium's "total transformation" over the next four years. Penn State will begin the winterization and infrastructure work this offseason and expects the design process to take about a year. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2025, "hopefully after the playoff game," Kraft said.
Basketball projects are coming
Mike Rhoades spent much of his first three months as Penn State basketball coach rebuilding the roster. But he also has been involved in restructuring aspects of the facilities, including some simple things Kraft noted during a recent meeting with Rhoades.
"For example, our video room is upstairs [from the practice court]. That makes no sense," Kraft said. "We've got to figure that out. It should be closer to the court. Some of those logistics, we’re trying to figure out how we can move certain things around to be more efficient and effective with the players’ time."
Kraft has been been investment-positive about every Penn State program but plans to be particularly aggressive with basketball. Upgrading the practice facilities, which Kraft called an "evolution," represents a key program driver. Fundraising will be essential to that as well.
The coach who doesn't ask for anything
Wrestling coach Cael Sanderson recently won his 10th NCAA title at Penn State yet "doesn't ask for anything," Kraft said. The athletic director marveled at that while noting that, though Sanderson seems content, Penn State doesn't take him for granted. Kraft didn't get specific but said he's "working on some stuff" to take care of Sanderson and his staff to maintain the program's momentum.
"If you think you can just sit there and rest on Cael Sanderson, that’s absolutely the wrong answer," Kraft said. "... We want to win 20, we want to win 30 national championships. We don't want to stop."
Check out Kraft's full media session courtesy of Mark Brennan of 247Sports.
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