New AD weighs in on what’s ahead
Kraft says improving facilities, NIL and titles top his list
STATE COLLEGE — Patrick Kraft was born and raised in the northern suburbs of Chicago.
His mother, Linda, was a grade-school teacher and his father, Joe, owned a printing company.
They set an example for their five children, including the middle one, Patrick.
“We’d just go over and play in the factory,” Kraft recalled. “They never let the business creep into our home life, such as the financial struggles. My dad ran that for most of his life. He was everything to me.
“He was a dynamic personality. He worked really hard. He was always there for us. He never wavered. He was fun. He was really special. I hope I’m like him.”
Kraft officially began his new job Friday as Penn State’s director of athletics, hoping he can have the same positive impact on athletes, coaches and staff as his father had on his family and his employees.
The 44-year-old Kraft succeeds Sandy Barbour, who retired Thursday after eight years at Penn State. After two years as AD at Boston College, he takes over a department that has 31 varsity sports, 800-plus athletes, 340 employees and had a $165 million budget before the pandemic.
He spent most of June on campus, getting to know his new staff and his new surroundings.
“I want them to know that I’ll be here to support them and to have their backs,” Kraft said. “I’m trying to create an open dialogue and make sure everybody knows they have a voice.
“If we work at a high level, the rest will take care of itself.”
Kraft has always understood the importance of work ethic, perhaps learned from his father, who died eight years ago. He played football, basketball and baseball at Carmel Catholic High School before enrolling at Division III Illinois Wesleyan. He spent two seasons there before transferring to Indiana.
“I had a wonderful time at Wesleyan, but I was missing something,” he recalled. “I knew I could play at the next level. I fell in love with Indiana. That was the best thing I ever did. We didn’t win a lot of games, but it was transformative for me.
“It was how hard we had to work and the grind that came with it. I believe that still resonates with me as the most impactful thing.”
He played linebacker for three seasons (1997-99) for the Hoosiers and eventually earned a scholarship and three Indiana degrees. He taught sports management and marketing until he became an assistant athletic director there in 2009.
He moved on to Loyola (Ill.) and Temple, where he became AD in 2015 and oversaw the Owls’ best period of football success.
Even though he was at Boston College for only two years, the Eagles built a new practice facility for men’s basketball, upgraded locker rooms and training rooms and added staff in sports medicine, strength and conditioning and mental health.
“We’re going to be aggressive in mental health,” Kraft said. “It’s tough because of the pressure that’s put on these young women and men. The stories of death threats and suicidal thoughts are real.
“We have to be able to give them an outlet. We have to be able to allow them to be free and allow them to let that burden go and be able to live their life.”
Improving Penn State’s facilities also will be one of his top priorities, he said. During his five years as Temple AD, the Owls built a new training complex with a turf field and a new complex for soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.
“We have to really focus on bricks and mortar,” Kraft said. “Our facilities, our Olympic facilities in particular, are woefully inadequate. I’m talking about weight rooms, nutrition and recovery rooms. Those are the things that will help us grow and help us win championships.
“Men’s and women’s soccer, for example, are all over the place. It’s not right. They don’t have a flushing toilet at their facility. Those are national championship programs. We have to fix that.”
Kraft said he also will focus on how to maximize name, image and likeness collectives for football and other sports at Penn State.
“We have to get that fixed,” he said. “I have a plan. It’s not something amazing. We just have to be better at communicating with all constituencies. We have a great infrastructure, but we’re not supporting it the right way.
“The coaches are on an island. The donors are on an island. I believe we will have the best NIL situation in the country, but it’s going to take time.”
NIL has impacted football more than any other college sport. Kraft made it clear at his introductory news conference in April how he views Penn State football.
“It is a driver,” he said. “Nationally, it drives the brand. Football game day helps recruiting for all the other sports. I think it starts (with football) and everything else falls in there.”
When asked where he sees Penn State football headed in the next five years, he answered, “National champions, that’s the goal.”
Kraft said excelling in football and in the other 30 varsity sports aren’t mutually exclusive. He believes that being an athletic director combines academics, business and competition.
“It’s a wonderful mix,” he said. “That’s what I love about it. I truly love what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”