New report indicates that Penn State will pay big money for its new basketball coach

Earlier this week, former Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry left the program in favor of the same role with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Now, the search is on for the next Penn State basketball coach, and unlike in years past, new reports indicate that the university is ready to open the checkbook for their new head coach.

Reports indicate that the Nittany Lions are willing to pay big money for new head coach

After one of the best seasons in program history, the Penn State basketball team is currently a simple pile of rubble. Recruits are decommitting, players are entering the portal, Seth Lundy declared for the NBA Draft, and more. In total, the program is losing 11 players and likely much (or all) of its previous coaching staff — there is not much to see when it comes to the basketball program in State College right now.

According to a report from PennLive reporter David Jones, the Penn State basketball program is finally ready to lay down some serious money when it comes to hiring a new head coach.

“Based on discussions I had on Saturday, I believe PSU athletic director Pat Kraft is going to leave something in the range of a $4 million annual salary on the table for whomever replaces Micah Shrewsberry,” Jones wrote in a weekend piece.

Whoever takes over at Penn State this offseason will be stepping into a mess and will likely need to hit the transfer portal to fill 5-8 scholarship spots on the roster. Additionally, according to Micah Shrewsberry and others, Penn State’s NIL funding is severely lacking — perhaps even the worst in the Big Ten right now.

All of that being said, if there is any good news for Penn State basketball fans during this coaching search, it is that Pat Kraft and Penn State University are ready to break a trend: PSU is willing to pay big money for its new head coach.

It’s time for Penn State basketball to shell out some cash on the basketball program

Throughout the course of the 2022-23 basketball season, the Penn State Nittany Lions had their ups and downs. A miraculous Big Ten tournament run and solid win over Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament were the highlights of what many Power 6 programs would call a relatively average season; after all, it took a last-second shot against Maryland to boost Penn State basketball to 19-12 ahead of postseason play.

The fact of the matter is that Penn State has rarely (if ever) taken the basketball team seriously in recent memory, at least as far as the administration is concerned. If Penn State was willing to pay Micah Shrewsberry and provide him with as many resources as the school possibly could for a 24-win season and a Round of 32 tournament exit, the Penn State basketball program should be able to give that to his successor.

All Nittany Lion fans appreciated Penn State’s late season run over the past few weeks, and if PSU wants to sustain that success (or see it again in the first place), a check needs to be signed, and there should be a lot of zeros on it.

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