Penn State has released a statement from athletic director Pat Kraft in response to Micah Shrewsberry leaving for Notre Dame.
Kraft wrote that Shrewsberry called him Wednesday afternoon to tell him he was accepting the Notre Dame job.
Hours after the news became public, Kraft’s statement became so, too.
In his statement, Kraft thanked Shrewsberry for “his contributions to the PSU community” and wished him “the very best.”
The statement also read that the quest for Penn State’s next men’s basketball coach has begun.
“We are already moving forward in a search for a new head coach and will identify and appoint a tremendous coach, teacher and person,” the statement read, “who will take us to unprecedented heights.”
Multiple Penn State players let the world know via Twitter that they want associate head coach Adam Fisher to be the guy.
Kraft then expressed his gratitude for the season Penn State men’s basketball just wrapped up.
In one of the best years in program history, Penn State went to the NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Championship game for the first time since 2011 and won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2001.
“We are so proud of our amazingly talented student-athletes and all they accomplished this year and will in the future,” he wrote. “We are also so appreciative of our student body and our passionate fans who support our basketball program.”
Kraft wasn’t Penn State’s AD when Micah Shrewsberry got the job in the spring of 2021. The following year, Kraft succeeded Sandy Barbour, getting the job in April 2022 and officially taking over July 1. Since Kraft took over, Penn State athletics has had plenty of success. The football team finished 11-2 and No. 7 in the country, highlighted by a Rose Bowl win over Utah.
The wrestling team won its 10th national title in 12 years this past weekend, and basketball had its aforementioned success.
But all of those triumphs happened under coaches hired by somebody else.
Finding Shrewsberry’s successor will be Kraft’s first big test as AD.
