Penn State football live updates: Pat Kraft press conference
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft is meeting with reporters at Beaver Stadium on Monday afternoon in the wake of his decision to dismiss football head coach James Franklin on Sunday. Set to introduce Terry Smith as the interim head coach, Kraft will take questions and make a statement.
Additionaly, Smith will address the media immediately afterward.
Live updates: Terry Smith press conference
Message to recruits
10/13/2025 11:47:55 AMIt’s a two-fold question becaue of ’26 and ’27 class. Those guys are going to be directly impacted by final decision of who HC will be. Message is to remember all the reasons they chose Penn State. Great university, first-class education, first-class football. Play in Big Ten at the highest level. No matter the next HC, Pat and Vinnie and admin will bring outstanding candidate here. Message in the past was always about assistant coachees. Will always be great leaders at Penn State. Standard is the standard and next HC will uphold that standard and Penn State will be in good hands.
31 players who could redshirt, transfers
10/13/2025 11:46:15 AMThat’s another dynamic he has to manage now. Have talked to a few players personally today. Message to all of them is they signed up to play football. Love football. Keep main thing the main thing. Only earn opportunity through production on the field. If you aren’t on the field, doesn’t matter where you want to go next, won’t make money at next place, won’t get drafted. So message is come together, win the season, shock the world, and all can have success together.
Losing swag, grit, confidence
10/13/2025 11:44:47 AMIn a new era of football. Have to navigate everything about it. NIL, money, the locker room of 125 guys. Bringing individuals and making them collective. That’s his job now. Have to bring everyone together to see the benefit of how they can succeed as one. Won’t be easy because these guys love Coach Franklin and some of them are torn up. Gotta rally the troops and become one.
AJ Harris and Cooper Cousins
10/13/2025 11:43:35 AMUnfortunately for AJ, on the TD, made a decision at that time to play some other guys. AC and Elliot Washington, those guys have rotated all year and felt a better chance to have success with those guys.
Cooper is a week to week process. Will get to practice tomorrow and figure out where he’s at and hopefully he’ll be ready.
Defining success
10/13/2025 11:42:32 AMIt is the team pulling the rope in the same direction. When you watch them play, questions won’t be effort or looking lethargic. If they lose, will be because team beat them and was better. Won’t ask questions how they lost last three games, not one that was better than them, including Oregon. Promise, going to put a better product on the field that every Penn Stater will be super proud of.
Ethan Grunkemeyer
10/13/2025 11:41:22 AMHave trust in him. He’s going to be ready. Rep him all week. Class on grass. Will have game plan for him that fits him. Super excited to see him go out there on Saturday night.
On bringing everyone back together
10/13/2025 11:40:43 AMPenn State has done so much for him and family. Dad graduated in ’68. Set a tone for them. Moved them out of Aliquippa and showed a better life through his education here. When he graduated in ’91 and now supporting and taking care of family, it’s because of Penn State and lessons here. It means everything to him. Doesn’t see working here as a job. Loves waking up every morning and trying to make them better.
On what has happened
10/13/2025 11:39:16 AMGames last year, close game and ball bounces their way. Wisconsin. Minnesota. Ball not bouncing their way this year, so have to grind to be better.
As for Drew, no other updates other than he is out for the year.
Simplifying defense
10/13/2025 11:38:29 AMOn the defensive side, the biggest thing is have to get DL to be in sync. Everything starts up front. Things to fix this week are OL and DL. Not that they’re problems but control the line, control the game. Those are the things to focus on this week. About toughness. Need to be tougher up front and that sets the tone for the game.
Taking the interim role
10/13/2025 11:37:10 AMJames understood, all under contract, have to press forward. James always told him if something were to happen to him, he would recommend Terry to lead. When he woke up yesterday morning, had no idea he would be the interim head coach. Today, super proud to be that and will lead to the best of ability, and going to get it back on track.
James Franklin addressing the team
10/13/2025 11:37:15 AMFortunately, he let the team know. It was emotional. Those kids love him. He went into their homes and brought them here. Their families entrusted him. So there was a lot of emotion in that meeting. James is a great guy. Has done so much for all of them. Thankful. Going to miss him.
Corners coach
10/13/2025 11:35:13 AMJordan Lucas will take his role. No other staff changes immediately. Wants to get feet under him and understand roles of being head coach of this program. Will take deeper look each day of ways to help them improve.
Opportunity to prove himself as potential HC
10/13/2025 11:34:23 AMThankful they chose him. Loves Penn State. All he wants to do is help Penn State win. Sitting in this press conference because they didn’t win enough. Whatever helps this team win is what he will do. If opportunity didn’t put itself out there for him to be head coach permanently, would love that opportunity.
Recruiting responsibilities
10/13/2025 11:33:16 AMGot work cut out for him. Probably recruited 3/4 of the roster. And recruited committed guys. Going to continue to press forward and get in front of these guys. Penn State is Penn State. All know the expectation of being here. Made it clear, will be successful. Always have been. Only way they know. Going to recruit young men that want to be here. Recruiting will work as-is. Going to keep tedious approach, keep contacting them, keep reminding how beautiful of a place this is.
Temperature of the locker room
10/13/2025 11:31:40 AMGuys that are shocked it happened. Players. Staff. Didn’t anticipate this. But it has happened. Every person in the Lasch Building brought there by Jamees Franklin. Brought every one of them there. Sense of attachment and loyalty to James. Now his job to press them forward. Be where feet are and represent Penn State in a proud fashion. Have to get grittiness, toughness, swag back. And have to have fun, enjoying game of football.
Finding out
10/13/2025 11:30:21 AMFound out Sunday afternoon. Had a team meeting scheduled at 1:45. Found out at 1:20. Was stunned, like most people in the building and most people around the country. Was fortunate to speak with Coach Franklin last night. A heartfelt conversation. Just wanted to express gratitude and thankfulness for him, for everything he’s done for him and family and program. Took out of a dark era and got to be a relevant program again and don’t take that for granted.
Opening statement
10/13/2025 11:29:06 AMThank you to Coach Franklin for 11 years of service to the program and university. Learned so much from him as a parent and father, a coach, how to run a world class program. It’s a tremendous opportunity for him to have worked with him. Fortunate that he played for Coach Paterno, and played for another very successful coach at Penn State in Coach Franklin.
Appreciates the opportunity from Pat Kraft to lead the program forward. Penn State holds a dear place in his heart. Third generation Penn Stater. Calls this place home. Loves the Blue and White. For the program, need to stick together, stay focused, keep the standard the standard. NOthing changes with the expectations. Need to get back to enjoying ball, being tough, gritty, and passionate. Players and staff will respond with great energy. Excited to lead everyone in the Lasch Building. Players and staff will continue to represent Penn State with pride and do it the right way.
Live updates: Pat Kraft press conference
(Press conference has ended at 12:24 p.m. Terry Smith up next.)
Terry Smith as HC candidate
10/13/2025 11:23:44 AMAbsolutely. Will do everything to help Terry run the table. But yes, he will be considered as a candidate.
How to bring fans back together
10/13/2025 11:23:07 AMGotta be steady. Penn State is built for stuff like this. Have to have unity. Strong force. They stick together through this. Family argues all the time. That happens. But going to do it with class and dignity and get around one simple thing – the young men in that locker room. Can hate him, can hate James, but like Drew, rally around them. They deserve it. That’s who Penn State is. That’s who they are and in heart of hearts, that will drive them to where they end up.
Drew Allar injury, career
10/13/2025 11:21:46 AMHard to not get emotional about that. He’s just an amazing kid. Not sure what else to say. He’s been through a lot. And he is a kid. To see someone who has gone through a lot at a young age, and anyone whoever doubts his commitment to Penn State and Penn State football, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Drew is one hell of a young man. He puts up with a lot of crap. And gets it, in NIL era, but he’s still a kid. Not a negative word that comes up when thinking of Drew. You gotta understand these kids work so hard and they love Penn State so much. Gets to see them differently from everyone. Gets to see them as his children. So much bigger than interceptions or touchdowns. He is working hardest to win. To see it end that way, you never want that. No matter game outcome, wants athletes to finish everything they start in life and games. He’ll be incredible player and ambassador. And the fact he stuck with them is awesome. Tells those kids he’ll have their back every second of the day and won’t stop doing that. Loves the kid. He’ll be great for them. Will be great for Grunk. He works hard, bright future, smart, playing ball at the highest level.
When it came up
10/13/2025 11:18:27 AMHave to be ready for anything. Did he expect to have to do that yesterday? No. But you should be built for adversity and what you think is the right direction for the program. Does data, analytics, everything. When you look at where they’re going, and yes, how this year was playing out, you have to take all those things into consideration. All humans. James a human being. A job he loved. People can say what they want about him, but small world, and all friends, so you can’t take this decision lightly. It’s about where are they as a program, where are they going, how to give student-athletes best chance to win, how to build this to where they are the best program in the country? That’s the motivation. When you start to put those things together. 1-18 plays into it.
How Terry will handle it
10/13/2025 11:16:17 AMComfortable doing this now because of Terry. He’s an elite recruiter. Has relationships with those kids. Have talked about many things and that’s a part of it. Such a big and historical program to weather the storm. Have weathered worse than this. Once Terry is settled in, he will talk to any recruit and continue to be very active in that process. Less worried about ’27 kids and more about the kids in the locker room right now. Terry has a great staff and will lead to address recruiting issues. But prepared to get after Iowa.
Handling contract structure
10/13/2025 11:14:41 AMWhen all these contracts were signed, rev-share and all the other pieces involved, you have to process the financials in such a different light. When you start a search and have those discussions, how do you envision the program and winning a national championship. You have to recruit and transfer portal at a high level. How are you building a roster to compete for a national championship.
Doing it in-season
10/13/2025 11:12:35 AMWhen you make these types of decisions, and does it all the time, anything this significant just doesn’t come on a whim. You have to have scenarios of how things go. But looking at where the program was, is, and where they want to be, just felt there was no other course. Felt it was time. In a different era of football and a lot coming with it, transfers – that was down the road in the thought process, but did feel for student-athletes, staff, program, fans, there wasn’t a choice. When you make that decision, you make the call. Have to be the leader. Have to make hard decisions. That’s why felt like it was appropriate.
When decision was made made and difficulty of it
10/13/2025 11:10:46 AMThis was extremely difficult. Very difficult 48 hours. Felt after Saturday, sitting down and looking at everything that where they were and best interest of the student-athletes, and where the program was going, that at this time they had to make the hard decision. When you lead an organization like this, when you’ve made the decision, you have to do it with whole heart and conviction. Was going to sleep on it on Sunday, but knew it was the right course of action for the program and team. That’s how it transpired.
This isn’t a three-game thing. This is diving into where they were as a program. The trajectory. Here to win a national championship and fans deserve that. Wakes up every day trying to achieve that.
Buyout
10/13/2025 11:08:45 AMNot going to get into the financials. This is an athletics issue, not the university. Athletics is covering all the costs associated with it. Not going to get into details of structural payment or financials.
Opening statement
10/13/2025 11:00:00 AMHere to discuss yesterday’s announcement of leadership change for the football program.
James Franklin is a tremendous man, husband, father, mentor to countless student athletes, and a good friend. He has always carried himself with dignity and represented Penn State with absolute class. Beyond the wins and accolades, James has been a trusted ambassador to the university and a friend. All fortunate for him to have led the program for more than a decade. Wish him and family nothing but success in the next chapter of their lives.
That said, at Penn State, hold all programs to the highest standards in pursuit of excellence. His job is to make tough decisions for best outcomes of program and student athletes. Believes a change needed to reach national championship. Terry Smith will lead. He understands what it means to pour heart into Blue and White.
The search: Will conduct a national search. Next coach will embody everything Penn State stands for. Accountability, toughness, humility, and elite motivator. Will achieve excellence at highest level with conviction. Recruiting will be highest priority. Will get elite talent. Will make Penn State a destination. Also about the modern era of college football. Next coach needs to take advantage of top resources and attack the transfer portal. Needs to represent Penn State. Blue collar work ethic and toughness. Someone who honors tradition and isn’t afraid to evolve.
The right coach will rebuild the unity and pride that defines the historic program and ignite fan base around shared belief that they are capable of greatness, will do it the right way, and will be the best. Have best fans and alums in the country. Renovated stadium on the horizon. Nothing but confidence to bring in an elite head coach.
To fans, community, alumni: All need support. All focus should be around the young men in Lasch right now who wear blue and white. A lot of football left. They deserve every ounce of support.
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