Penn State AD Pat Kraft ‘all-in’ on winning CFP national championship
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Penn State football has gone all-in this offseason, positioning the Nittany Lions as one of the favorites to win the national title — and athletic director Pat Kraft is a big reason why.
Kraft, speaking to the media Monday, made it clear he’s committed to doing what it takes to win championships. He made those words ring true when Penn State shelled out big money to hire defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The Nittany Lions also retained several star players.
“You don’t come to Penn State willy-nilly and say, ‘Let’s see what happens,’” Kraft said. “We’re here to win national championships, and we’re going to do it the right way. Yeah, I’m committed. It takes everybody. … When it comes to football, we’re close. We’re going to keep going and keep going and keep going until we get to where we want to be.”
Penn State came within a few points of playing for the national title this past season. The Nittany Lions lost to Notre Dame, 27-24, in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl. James Franklin’s team finished 13-3 with CFP wins over SMU and Boise State.
Since then, the Nittany Lions flexed their NIL muscles by retaining star running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, quarterback Drew Allar and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, among others. Penn State is following a similar blueprint to Ohio State, which brought back a collection of NFL talent for the 2024 season, leading to a title win over Notre Dame.
Penn State also did well to replace two prominent assistants. Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider left for Notre Dame and was replaced by Stan Drayton, who boasts an impressive resume. The Nittany Lions also lost defensive coordinator Tom Allen to Clemson. Kraft and Franklin swung big and hit a home run in prying Knowles away from Ohio State.
Kraft said he didn’t hesitate in giving Knowles, arguably the top defensive coordinator in the country, a significant contract worth roughly $9 million over three years. Again, he’s committed to winning — and hiring Knowles after he won with the Buckeyes showed that.
“I’m going to get the best coordinators that we can,” Kraft said. “The coordinators set the tone. It’s James’ team. James is the CEO. He has done a masterful job of building the best staff in the country. You have to pay market value, but we can afford it. Why would I short-change him?
“For me, it was a no-brainer with Jim Knowles. We’re going to give ourselves the best chance to win.”