Listen, it’s not the strongest evidence and it’s a bit of a fallacy to believe in this next statement as proof but sit tight with me for a few paragraphs, and I promise we will get to the point you’re really looking for.
You’ve seen those videos after Penn State’s game called the “1-0 Cam”, right? They’ve got the players and coaches coming up to the camera and yelling “1-0” or gesturing “1-0” after wins. They’re great. I love them. If you haven’t watched them yet, go back and watch the one from Friday.
You know who showed up in those a lot this season? Pat Kraft.
You know who showed up on the sidelines quite a few times on TV or on the jumbotrons inside Beaver Stadium celebrating enthusiastically? Pat Kraft.
You know who seems to have a more visible presence, particularly, over Penn State football than any other athletic director I can remember in my lifetime as a Penn State fan? Pat Kraft.
Whether it be on the sidelines at games, high-fiving players after plays and yes, even showing up in those postgame videos, Penn State’s athletic director Pat Kraft has at least a visible imprint on the shape of the university’s most recognizable team.
And with two major decisions looming, he can make a tangible imprint on this Penn State football program.
As Penn State hires its new offensive coordinator and looks to retain its current defensive coordinator, it all doesn’t rest on Kraft’s shoulders but he does have a big chance to make good on some of his initial promises.
Back when Kraft was hired back in the spring of 2022, the former Boston College athletic director spoke at great length about how he was going to run his athletic program. Moreover, he talked about the importance of essentially running success through the school’s football program.
“What I think people miss is what other opportunity are you going to bring 107,000 people on to your campus and engage and create memories? So it is a driver,” he said at his introductory press conference. “Nationally it drives the brand. And it helps all. …Football gameday helps in recruiting for all the other sports. I think it starts and I think everything else kind of falls in there. … It leads to success elsewhere. But Penn State is Penn State football.”
Think about that last sentence for a moment. How stark of a difference is that from the days of “One Team?”
“But Penn State is Penn State football.”
Whether it was his PR-make-a-good-first-impression schtick or the honest truth, it was at least a verbal acknowledgment that Penn State football’s success drives the success for the rest of the school’s athletic programs – and maybe even the school itself.
(OK, I’ll give you that wrestling is a bit different but not every coach at Penn State is Cael Sanderson.)
With that statement though, Kraft set a precedent. What he can do to support Penn State football the most should likely be done.
And that goes back to the biggest storylines of the season. We’re probably a few days or maybe even hours of me hitting publish on this post of James Franklin making a hire for offensive coordinator.
That’s a position that Franklin has to get right because his last two cracks at it haven’t been right.
But Franklin can’t attract top talent for that job without the alignment (read: money) that we’ve heard him talk and talk and talk about time and time again since Kraft’s hiring. It may not have been a shot at previous athletic director Sandy Barbour or even president Eric Barron but it certainly felt like those three weren’t always on the same page.
Now, it feels like Kraft and Franklin are at least on the same page. Otherwise, Franklin, who doesn’t often say things without intention, wouldn’t bring it up.
And now here’s where I hope that Kraft and I, you, pretty much every Penn State fan and Franklin are on the same page.
Kraft can’t come up short when it comes to the purse strings for Manny Diaz. Obviously, the ball is 100 percent in Diaz’s court when it comes to what’s next for the former head coach of Miami. But Franklin – by proxy Kraft – has to make sure he does everything he can to make it as impossible as possible to say no.
It’s not a reach to say that in Diaz’s short time at Penn State, he’s been the best coordinator to coach in blue and white. Pay him what he’s worth. Or at least offer it to him.
Diaz’s defense, particularly this year, was what probably makes this season’s 10-2 outcome the most frustrating. It was at minimum College Football Playoff worthy.
Pick a stat and chances are Penn State either leads in that category or ranks in the top 10 of the country. Penn State was 23 yards per game better than Michigan in yards allowed per game. Penn State was also top in yards per play as the only team to average less than 4 yards allowed per play. It was top three in scoring defense. Penn State generated 24 turnovers this season, the most in the Big Ten and second in the country. You get it.
Hopefully, Kraft gets it too. Diaz provides Penn State with the best chance to perform well on defense.
The reality of the situation, though, is that Diaz has been adamant about returning to the head coaching position. Financially speaking, Diaz also will take a hit thanks to his Miami buy-out drying up. And it won’t be Kraft and/or Franklin’s decision alone whether or not Diaz stays.
That will likely be determined by the coaching carousel steadily spinning less than 24 hours after the close of the college football regular season and whether or not there’s something out there that catches Diaz’s eye.
But if Kraft can provide some blinders around him so to speak then the athletic director is doing what he set out.
Helping Franklin get the offensive coordinator hire right and making sure it’s hard for Diaz to leave will provide Penn State with the best chance at succeeding even more in the future. It will set up Franklin to succeed in ways he hasn’t before. It will also set up Kraft to provide more for the rest of Penn State’s teams.
Oh, and it will allow him to appear in more of those 1-0 videos too.
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Corrected Penn State’s turnover total from 25 to 24.
