New Athletic Director Hire Is 'Critical' for Penn State, James Franklin Says

Retiring AD Sandy Barbour says new President Neeli Bendapudi 'understands the power' of athletics to a university.

Penn State will employ a new president and new athletic director this summer to steer the future of its sports programs. Football coach James Franklin called the search for a new athletic director an important moment for the university.

So expect Franklin to be involved, as he was with the presidential search process.

"I'm excited right now in how those things are going," Franklin said. "But obviously, this athletic director hire is going to be critical for the university as a whole, for the athletic department, and then specifically to the football program. It's a very, very important hire and very important that we build strong relationships andthat I understand so I can do a great job of building the football program in the vision that they expect it to be run."

Athletic Director Sandy Barbour announced recently that she will retire this summer after eight years at Penn State. Barbour's contract was scheduled to run through 2023. Penn State is conducting a national search for its next athletic director.

During a media conference Monday, Barbour called this "the right time" to retire, not only for her but also for Penn State. Former Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi takes over as Penn State's president this spring and will hire the new athletic director.

Barbour said Bendapudi will be "fantastic" for Penn State, adding that Bendapudi understands the importance of athletics to the university.

"I think she will provide really strong and determined leadership for Penn State that will be very good not only for Penn State but for Penn State athletics," Barbour said. "I think she gets it. She understands the power of athletics and what it can do for a campus. I think she intends to leverage that to the max, and I for one am very excited to see what that is."

The Penn State landscape has changed greatly for Franklin since he arrived in 2014. Then, he worked for an interim president (Rodney Erickson) and an interim athletic director (David Joyner).

Penn State hired Eric Barron as president and Barbour as athletic director after it hired Franklin. Last year, Franklin was the only member of the athletic department to serve on the Next Gen Penn State Advisory Group that contributed to the presidential search process.

"We have a huge athletic program, ... but obviously football is a very big draw and is so important not only in terms of donor dollars and team spirit but it’s a big reputational issue in terms of making sure Penn State is squeaky clean," Trustee Barbara Doran said during an appearance on the Trustees and Presidents podcast. "It's important that the head football coach does have input into the presidential election, because there will be who knows what issues that may arise that you’ll need a close working relationship."

Franklin likely will have input on the athletic director search as well. Multiple sites, including The Athletic, have reported that Northern Illinois Athletic Director Sean Frazier is a candidate at Penn State. Frazier previously worked at Wisconsin, where he spent six years on Barry Alvarez's staff, and played football at Alabama.

Barbour said she plans to remain in State College for at least a year and that she would like to teach at some point. But she always intended for Penn State to be her final stop as an athletic director.

"Where is Penn State going to be in five years? I think we're poised to do phenomenal things," Barbour said. "We have great coaches. We have great coaches that are great fits for Penn State. Not only are they technically sound in their sport but they get Penn State. They understand Penn State, they understand that piece I was talking about before in terms of 750,000 living alumni and what fits here in terms of making those that support us in so many different ways, making them proud."

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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.