Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

James Franklin reacts to Penn State’s hiring of new AD

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Penn State has its next athletic director lined up with the Nittany Lions introducing Patrick Kraft on Friday.

Kraft joins Penn State after serving as the AD at Boston College since 2020. He also has experience at Indiana, Loyola Chicago and Temple and played college football at Indiana while earning his undergrad degree.

After the announcement, head football coach James Franklin reacted to the news. Franklin praised the hiring of Kraft and pointed toward Kraft’s understanding of B1G football having played in the conference and worked at Indiana.

“In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Pat has proven to be a bold leader, whose mindset and ability to adapt is as important as ever,” said Franklin via a statement. “Pat’s background as a Big Ten college football player has helped mold his understanding of how impactful a successful football program can be for the entire University and community.”

Now, Franklin will hope for a solid working relationship with Kraft. The first step for Franklin is to post a rebound season on the gridiron. After averaging 10.5 wins a year from 2016-19, the Nittany Lions have 11 total wins the past two seasons.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.