Are the Nittany Lions ready to give a new contract to Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson? Pat Kraft weighs in

Cael Sanderson has undoubtedly been the best college wrestling coach for over a decade. Penn State wrestling has won 11 of the past 13 National Championships, including three consecutive titles dating back to 2022. Four months ago, the Nittany Lions set the total points (172.5) and winning margin records (100) at the NCAA Championships.

Despite standing atop the college wrestling world, whether or not Sanderson is compensated as such is unclear.

Last week, the terms of former Penn State wrestling star David Taylor’s contract with Oklahoma State were made available. Earning over $1 million each year, many believe the contract makes Taylor the highest-paid coach in the sport.

Although he’s been at Penn State for almost two decades, Cael Sanderson’s salary is still not publicly known. Sanderson received a contract extension in 2022, the details of which were not disclosed.

Kraft: If Cael Sanderson wanted to talk about a contract extension today, we would

With Taylor’s contract, the wrestling world has been clamoring to know if the Nittany Lions will counter with a new deal of their own for Cael Sanderson. On Tuesday, Athletic Director Pat Kraft gave his thoughts on Sanderson’s contract at Big Ten Football Media Days in Indianapolis.

“I haven’t talked to him since that came out,” Kraft said. “In fact, I chuckled when I saw that. To be honest, [Cael and his staff] are locked and loaded for Paris. We talk all the time. He is so focused on what is important right now. We’ll continue talking. Everyone knows how I feel about Cael.

“We haven’t talked about a contract extension. If he wanted to talk about a contract extension today, we would talk about a contract extension. He isn’t wired that way, which is such an amazing trait that he has. He is solely focused.”

Sanderson and the NLWC have four of the six wrestlers on the U.S. Men’s Freestyle Team competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, along with Roman Bravo-Young, representing Mexico.

Since arriving at Penn State, Cael Sanderson has always been a calm and reserved coach. He almost never yells while his wrestlers are competing, and the overall culture of the program reflects his own coaching style. Every wrestler who comes through Happy Valley is ready to work and is not worried about the outside noise within the sport.

How could Penn State generate more revenue for a new Sanderson contract?

Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Cael Sanderson has certainly done enough to be the highest-paid coach in college wrestling. If an unproven head coach like David Taylor is getting a little over $1 million per year, there’s no reason to believe that Sanderson isn’t worth at least twice as much.

The tricky part is that wrestling isn’t a revenue-generating sport.

At Penn State, football and men’s basketball typically generate revenue for the athletic department every season. Football obviously generates most of that revenue. But its television contract, large Bryce Jordan Center, and recent program buy-in have all increased the financial profile of men’s basketball under new head coach Mike Rhoades.

The two sports that hover around the break-even point are men’s ice hockey and wrestling. Hockey has experienced a few seasons where it was profitable, albeit usually in the hundreds of thousands instead of millions. But it is still profitable nonetheless.

Wrestling has always been slightly below break-even, thanks in large part to a large national recruiting budget.

But that doesn’t mean the program couldn’t be profitable. Penn State wrestling currently competes in the smaller Rec Hall venue, which has a capacity of 6,846 people, for home duals. The annual Bryce Jordan Center Dual fills the 15,000-seat arena or comes close.

A full-time move to the BJC or constructing a new venue that is still larger than Rec Hall could offset expenses, including another possible raise for Cael Sanderson.

Whether Penn State finds a way to generate more revenue from its dominant wrestling program or not, Cael Sanderson will most likely get whatever amount of money he wants if he does seek a pay raise.

The exposure Sanderson’s dominant wrestling dynasty brings to the school every March at the NCAA Championships outweighs the extra cost in the long run.

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