Penn State is about to land its head coach, but the last 24 hours haven’t been all good for the program. AD Pat Kraft has been in the news, but not for the things he’d like. A leaked audio of the AD went viral, in which he got too honest about his feelings for his former HC and other programs in the Big Ten. One Lions alum wants action on the audio; however, not against Kraft.

“I hope Penn State finds out who recorded that and they are punished. It’s a gross violation of trust and, not to mention, illegal. Meetings like that are sacred, and leaking that audio was an intentional move to undermine Pat Kraft and PSU,” former PSU TE Adem Brenemen said about the leaked audio. “This is a main issue with Penn State … so many people constantly wanting to take down the leaders and program from the inside. And then we wonder why great head coaches are worried about coming to PSU … we have people inside the program proactively undermining the administration!”

Pennsylvania’s wiretap laws prevent the distribution of such prohibited leaks. So, whoever leaked the audio is in for a potential felony. Despite that, the internet is filled with mixed opinions on the audio, where Kraft can be allegedly trying to explain his decision to fire Franklin to the recruits he’s addressing.

“What’s happened here too many times at Penn State is they F—- settle for the second best. That’s why we made the move,” Kraft is allegedly heard saying. He also goes on to explain why he won’t hire Terry Smith for the job. While some of these things should ideally stay in-house, it also shows that Pat Kraft genuinely cares about the program.

The Libertyville, Illinois, native outlined how handing out NIL offers to players won’t lead to success and also stopped short of bringing Oregon into the conversation, calling the team “a fraud.” Kraft then also points out how weak hires by James Franklin, like WR coach Marques Hagans, have led to weak WR classes.

“You needed a wide receiver, but we couldn’t get a F—- dog for you to help open things up. Am I wrong? Would you have taken Carnell Tate? Those are the things we have to get addressed if we are going to actually win a national championship, which is what we will do here. That’s what Ohio State, Michigan, it pains me to F—- say, and Georgia, Bama, and Oregon right now. Although I think they’re frauds,” says Kraft.

The WR room’s weakness was a recurring issue for Penn State during the 2024 season, when they made the playoffs. Not to mention, the AD blasts James Franklin for spending too much on players and his refusal to play younger players over more experienced ones, snubbing talent. All in all, if the recording is true of Pat Kraft, it raises certain questions regarding the program’s operation under James Franklin and may garner sympathy points for the Penn State AD. That’s precisely what Adam Breneman advocates.

Adam Breneman praises Penn State AD Pat Kraft after the leaked audio

Aside from the various allegations mentioned in Kraft’s audio, he is also seen berating Franklin’s recruiting classes and discussing the decline in Penn State’s rankings in recent years. Kraft also criticizes Franklin’s recruiting classes and highlights Penn State’s declining rankings in recent years. The audio, though, isn’t the problem for Kraft. However, the fact that it’s being leaked in public makes it a glaring flaw for the program. It puts the program in a tough spot and raises questions about privacy. Not to mention, it will have a detrimental effect on a new coach willing to walk into a broken environment at Penn State.

“The speech makes me like and respect Pat Kraft even more. He clearly cares and wants to win and be the best program in CFB. He knows he needs to get this right. Whoever leaked it wanted to take down PK/PSU, but I think it may do the opposite,” concluded Adam Breneman in his IG post.

Penn State is looking to hire Matt Campbell to replace James Franklin. In a way, AD Kraft was forced to make this decision after he was rejected by every HC he got in touch with. The video complicates the hiring a bit, but considering the promotion Campbell is getting, he probably won’t care.

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