Incoming Penn State AD Patrick Kraft “ready to dive right into” NIL work with Lions, talks challenges of it

Penn State introduced incoming Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft on Friday.

One thing is clear following an hourlong news conference with both he and president-elect Neeli Bendapudi: The former Indiana walk-on linebacker who is leaving Boston College to come to State College has no interest in backing down from a challenge.

That’s a good thing for the Nittany Lions. The athletic department as a whole was mostly successful under the retiring Sandy Barbour. But, in the ever-changing world of college athletics, obstacles small and large are always on the horizon.

Dealing with name, image, and likeness is certainly one of them. And, it may top the list.

Kraft ready to ‘dive right in’ to NIL work at Penn State

Introductory news conferences can be challenging. While the new hire undoubtedly pitched many ideas to Penn State, Kraft certainly still has much to learn about how the Lions are operating in a number of areas. So, he was only able to comment from a 50,000-foot level about what could change at Penn State for the better.

However, just as he was a hard-charging defender for the Hoosiers, Kraft is ready to take on the work required to help Penn State catch up to its national peers when it comes to NIL opportunities.

“I’m really proud of how we’ve handled it at Boston College,” Kraft said. “I can only go off of what I know [from Boston College of] putting the structure in place for the athletes to maximize their brand and their opportunities. We got to protect the athletes though. You pay taxes on that money you get. Everybody in this room knows that. And I think that’s a really key point to it. Putting your name on something is putting your name on a brand. And what do you represent? Who do you represent? Not just the Penn State brand. Who you are, does that represent you?

“And so I think that’s going to be; I do think the market will self-correct in the next 24 months. I think it’s inevitable. But it’s one of the things we’re gonna have to dive into right away.”

Penn State is making progress in the space. A collective called ‘Success with Honor’ is helping facilitate NIL opportunities for student-athletes. And, Lions quarterback Sean Clifford started ‘Limitless NIL‘ with a similar goal in mind. Both are a good start, but Kraft will find that much more is required for Penn State to compete on the same level that others have been for months.

The good and bad of NIL

No one within college athletics would suggest that the NIL rollout has gone seamlessly. Some see it as pay for play. Others don’t like that rules vary from state to state. The NCAA nor the federal government, however, have any urgency to make a blanket rule for all.

Thus, Kraft will be tasked with not only lifting Penn State’s NIL efforts but also ensuring it stays out of any potential gray areas. He supports the initiative but knows that it comes with plenty of issues.

“What I’ve learned in the past year is, there’s a lot of sharks in the water, and they’re attacking,” Kraft said. “We have to protect our athletes, because, there’s a lot of things happening that candidly, I don’t really agree with. I think the NIL legislation was great. I really do. I’m a believer in it. I think athletes should absolutely have the opportunity to monetize their name, image and likeness.

“I do have an issue with people just calling others on rosters, offering them money, and then go into portal. And that’s what’s happening. And, we have to find a way to fix that. I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge.”

It’s one of many he will soon be responsible for in State College. Kraft takes over for Barbour on July 1.

“We will continue the tradition of winning,” Kraft said.

“We will have success with honor and win. That tradition is Penn State. We are Penn State. Make no bones about it now. I talked to the coaches. I’m here to win. I’m here to win, and we are going to win.”