How Matt Rhule Helped Penn State Land Its New Athletic Director

Rhule and Patrick Kraft developed a strong bond at Temple. And they often talked about Penn State.

Through their five years together at Temple, Patrick Kraft and Matt Rhule talked obsessively about how to lift Temple football higher into college football's ether. But they also occasionally discussed another topic: Penn State.

Little wonder, then, that when Penn State Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced her retirement recently, Kraft's wife Betsy asked him, "That's the one, right?"

"All the Penn State people I’ve met through Matt in time and our friendship, it really showed me a lot," Kraft, Penn State's new athletic director, said Friday during his introductory press conference at Beaver Stadium. "And it’s funny how all those conversations from when I started with Matt lead to this point. With no direction, just in general about Penn State and what it meant."

Penn State on Friday introduced Kraft as its new athletic director, signing him to a five-year deal that begins July 1. Kraft comes to Penn State from Boston College, where he spent nearly two years as athletic director, and Temple, where he spent a total of seven years in the athletic department, five as athletic director.

At Temple, Kraft said, he worked "in the shadow of Penn State." "You want to beat Penn State. You want to," he said.

Rhule and Kraft did that in 2015, Rhule's third year as head coach and Kraft's first as the athletic director. Temple sacked Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg 10 times in a 27-10 victory at Lincoln Financial Field, the team's first over Penn State since 1941.

That marked the beginning of a 2015 season in which Temple went 10-4 and during which Rhule, a State College native who played at Penn State, launched his national coaching profile. Though Rhule left Temple in 2016 for Baylor, and ultimately became the Carolina Panthers head coach in 2020, Kraft, Rhule and their families maintained a close relationship.

Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule and new Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft developed a strong bond during their time together at Temple :: Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

Kraft and Rhule have followed similar paths. Both began their college careers as walk-on football players (Kraft at Indiana, Rhule at Penn State) before changing directions. Rhule became a coach, starting as a volunteer assistant at Penn State in 1996 and making four stops before landing at Temple in 2006. He spent six years on staff, then one with the New York Giants, before becoming Temple's head coach in 2013.

Kraft earned three degrees at Indiana, including a Ph.D. in sport management, and launched a career in marketing and administration. He worked at Loyola University Chicago and Indiana before joining Temple's staff as deputy athletic director in 2013, coinciding with Rhule's first season as head coach. Kraft was Temple's athletic director for five years before taking the job at Boston College.

"My man Matt," Kraft said of Rhule on Friday before detailing Rhule's impact on his decision to pursue the Penn State job.

"We’re really like brothers. He really did help," Kraft said. "We talked about it a lot. When Sandy made her decision, Betsy looked at me and she said, 'That’s the one, right?' because Matt and I talked about it. Candidly, I’ve been in the shadow of Penn State for seven years when I was a Temple, and you want to beat Penn State. You want to.

"Matt’s a good sounding board. When this process came to fruition in a very quick window, he was a wonderful sounding board. 'What am I walking into? I know what it looks like, but what am I walking into?' Bigger than Penn State, we talk about just how to run programs and how to do things and how to live this crazy life in athletics that we have. Matt’s a brother to me, and I’m proud of him and what he’s doing."

Kraft on Friday called Penn State "the mountaintop," adding that, "I'm here to win." Penn State's coaches, notably James Franklin, appreciated the sentiment.

"In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Pat has proven to be a bold leader, whose mindset and ability to adapt is as important as ever," Franklin said in a statement. "It is clear to me that Pat embraces the proud tradition of Penn State and our 31 athletic programs. Pat’s background as a Big Ten college football player [at Indiana] has helped mold his understanding of how impactful a successful football program can be for the entire University and community."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.