Penn State zeroes in on top athletic director candidate, report says; when could a deal be done?
Penn State could hire the athletic director who will replace Sandy Barbour by the end of this week, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The university has been seeking a new leader of the Nittany Lions ever since Barbour announced earlier this year that she would retire this summer. Now, ESPN has revealed that Penn State’s top choice is current Boston College athletic director Pat Kraft.
“Penn State is targeting Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to become the school’s next AD, sources told ESPN,” Thamel wrote.
“The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the week, sources told ESPN.”
Assessing why Kraft fits at Penn State
From the moment Barbour surprisingly announced her retirement, Kraft was a logical candidate for Penn State to target.
An Illinois native, Kraft has Big Ten roots as an Indiana graduate. He got his start in college athletics with the Hoosiers and would later secure his first athletic director job at Temple. After a stint that stretched from 2013-2020, Kraft left to become the Eagles’ top athletics official.
Kraft’s Boston College bio is littered with academic, fundraising, and facility creation and renovation successes. Penn State is looking for someone who can accomplish all of those things and more. Thus, it feels like Kraft and head football coach James Franklin (and the rest of the school’s coaches) should get along just fine. Franklin has previously said he believes the university should find someone who is “bold and aggressive”, among other things.
“I can only speak for football, right? But, a really good understanding about what we’re truly competing against week in and week out,” Franklin said earlier this month.
“And then the ability to maybe get some things done from a policy and procedure standpoint on campus that don’t affect or impact the university but could have a significant impact on athletics and specifically football, to streamline some things. Maybe be a little bit less bureaucratic with some things. That kind of goes back to the alignment thing that I’ve said before.”
In other words, someone who can get things done. Kraft has a history of doing exactly that.
What happens next?
Penn State would undoubtedly like to close the deal this week. It appears to be on the goal line in its quest to do so.
New university president Neeli Bendapudi takes over in May. This was the first big hire of her tenure, and if all goes as planned, it seems to be a slam dunk.
Assuming Kraft ultimately takes the job, he would likely start this summer. A news release had previously said that the Lions wanted to have someone in place by July 1. However, Barbour could always move up her retirement date if both sides felt it was in the best interest of the school. Time will tell on that front. But, a search that started just a few short months ago seems set to reach its conclusion this week.
