Pat Kraft’s statement on Shrewsberry proves he is the perfect AD for Penn State

CHICAGO, IL — On Saturday, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ men’s basketball team won their fifth-straight game — the win came over the higher-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament. Now, after winning eight of their last nine games (including six quad one wins over the last two weeks), Penn State basketball will play for the program’s first-ever Big Ten title against Purdue this afternoon. In December, Pat Kraft was asked about what he can do to keep Micah Shrewsberry in State College, and his response proves he is the perfect AD for Penn State.

Pat Kraft proves he is the perfect AD for Penn State

Many Penn State Nittany Lions fans have been impressed with Pat Kraft, who was hired just before the 2022 college football season. Already, coaches like Cael Sanderson (wrestling), James Franklin (football), and others are impressed and happy with the job Kraft has done; however, he is now facing his biggest test yet: keeping basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry at Penn State.

Most people will say “pay him!” — this thought process is not entirely wrong, but that is not the only thing that will keep Shrewsberry in State College. For a competitor like Shrewsberry, it’s about much more than a check; he wants a shot at winning a national title, and unless Penn State builds up its athletic infrastructure to keep the Nittany Lions competitive, Shrewsberry may have to find a new home that provides him with the necessary resources.

Kraft will do everything he can to hand onto Shrewsberry

Here is what Pat Kraft had to say about keeping Shrewsberry in December:

“Yes. Absolutely, my man,” Kraft said. “Yep, absolutely. I’m committed to keeping — Micah is a great coach. Micah is a really, really, really good coach. Now, here’s what I will tell you, and I said it before when I got up here. It’s not just about paying the coach.”

“The great coaches know that. It’s about keeping the staff, being able to hire staff that if you lose staff, which is part of the process. It’s also about putting the infrastructure behind them to be successful. Where can I recruit? How do I recruit? How do I feed my athletes? How do I keep my athletes healthy?”

“That infrastructure, which I think has lacked for a lot of our sports, is where I think we have to invest in now. We started already doing that. So paying the coach is great, but the great coaches understand it’s all the other stuff that helps you eventually win a national championship.”

It’s clear that Pat Kraft gets what it takes to build a winner — now, he must deliver and make sure Shrewsberry doesn’t bolt for another college coaching job after this incredible season. If Kraft can pull this off, he will prove what all Penn State fans are already thinking: he is the perfect AD for Penn State.

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