Perhaps he has regret backing out of the PSU job. This could be karma. The PSU reference is at the end of the video. I would’ve been fine with Sitake, but I greatly prefer Campbell.
OT - Sitake references PSU resource level as he begs for more NIL money
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He was never coming to Penn State. He May want more money for operations and NIL, who doesn’t, but he was never coming here.
The dynamics of that entire episode could fill a small book.
The dynamics of that entire episode could fill a small book.
That sweet Crumbl money must have dried up.
Can someone who watched the video share what he said? I thought Sitake was a real out of the box target and think he would have been interesting at PSU. But, wild miscalculation on trying to pry a guy from a place that his personal and religious significance for him. Hope Crumbl cookie guy is happy!
Yeah Kraft may have been swindled there. At the very least he was used by 3 candidates. Some say that Neeli was more instrumental than Kraft in locking down Campbell, but I’m not sure we will ever know the full truth from the search.
He said that his conversations with Penn State revealed what other schools have in terms of money for players and other resources. He said he's not even asking for what PSU has. He did not give specifics about PSU.
Very good question. But given the amateur manner in which the University has handled other matters in the past decade and a half, the people in charge must recognize him as one of their own.
Blackledge locked down Campbell.
That is one of the rumors out there. But there’s others too. One thing that seems 100% is that the president took a much more active role after Kraft struck out with Sitake and multiple prominent individuals contacted her to promote Campbell as a candidate. Who knows what actually happened but it’s safe to say that Kraft, who was seriously considering freaking Daboll, got extremely lucky with Campbell.
YEP MtNittany
"Blackledge was a strong public supporter of Campbell. In multiple interviews, including with Blue White Illustrated, he called Campbell “the perfect hire for the right moment” and praised his outreach to Penn State lettermen as a way to unite the program YouTube+1.
Tod has also highlighted Campbell’s connection to Penn State’s history, noting that Campbell himself has spoken about Blackledge’s influence on his life and football philosophy"
$$$ locked down Campbell. Obviously.
Which is not unusual. Also, obviously.
Kraft's only impact was to conduct a "coaching search"
that nearly destroyed PSU's chances of getting even a B or C list coach.Back to the $$$:
Roughly $80 Million over 8 years - all guaranteed
But that ain't even close to all:
Make the playoffs (which ain't that tough - and is only going to get easier) - and add another $12 million or so
And that is for EVERY year that he makes the playoffs, ad infinitum - each time adding a year to that guaranteed payout, and increasing his annual comp. for EVERY year. If he doesn't completely crap the bed, that means it is essentially a lifetime contract.
And he can walk anytime he wants, for all intents and purposes (though why would he?). I believe PSU announced the contract had a $10 Million buyout - if Campbell were to leave - but that is only if he left THIS YEAR. LOL (after that it quickly drops to rounding error).
Supposedly, Kraft "guaranteed"
Campbell $17 million per year for coaching staff, and another giant pile of $ for various and sundry hangers-on, like Mike Mauti's positions and all the other folks (a hundred or more?) who now have paychecks, and are only left to wonder what they are supposed to be doing for it. But, cool for Campbell, he can build a nice little palace guard.And, as so often has been bandied about on this board - another $30 million for "NIL"
All of those figures of course going up year-by-year.How strong those "guarantees"
are? Who knows? Probably as strong as 1 ply TP, but if they are on paper it would certainly give Campbell cause to leave at any time (again, if he would want to) - and put Kraft (or his successors) over a barrel again.Campbell - despite limited options had PSU over a barrel (Stay at Iowa State? - and oversee the program he had built from horrible to "meh" degrade over time as pay-for-play fully blossomed).
Certainly, he was well aware of how desperate PSU's situation was - things had degraded so far and so fast that they were trying to buy Sitake for crying out loud. Sitake!
And Campbell made out like a bandit. Good for him.
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it never made any sense on a number of levels. Not sure how Kraft or ?? search firm or who ever was runing search got to that point. And listening too that interview seems the great deal Crumbl gave him to come back to BYU was not so great after all compared to PSU and elsewhere
All he knows about PSUs resources is what Kraft told him. Kraft sells bridges and luxury boxes also.
Do you really believe that, Neeli?? C'mon. Does she know what a first down is? These university presidents were first some academic like a chemistry prof. To me it is laughable they are thrust into these positions overseeing an athletic department. Like they ever watched or followed sports before they worked their way up the academic administration hierarchy.
You apparently did not follow this story and underestimate President Neeli Bendapudi.
What 3 are you claiming?
Rhule definitely wasn't one if you're trying to count him. Neither was Cignetti.
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Well, it’s a significant part of the job of president at a school like PSU or OSU or Michigan for a variety of reasons.
The Crumbl cookie references will never get old. Funny to spell and say as well
I would happily take Crumbl Cookies (and lattes) over cash money.
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Neeli was a strong advocate for PSU entering into the PayDay Loan for athletics.
No further comments on Dr Bendapudis insight and acumen wrt college athletics should be necessary.
The main one being to maintain the pretense that college athletics have something to do with education.
A pretense that has worn very, very thin.
There are two categories of Presidents (or "leaders") at the major athletics schools.
1) Those who think athletics are the be all and end all - and see their job as more like that of the president of a pro sports team (This is a smaller slice of the Presidents, but the majority of those on most University boards)
2) And those who know it is a necessary evil, but who really wish the whole "college sports" charade could just go away. (The majority of presidents are like this, but the minority of Board members)
Of course:
Those who fall into category 1) pretend that they are running an educational institution, when it suits their purposes.
Those who fall into category 2) will wave their pom-poms are robustly as anyone, when it suits their purposes.
Not much different than recruiting a top cancer researcher. Probably a lot less ego to stroke.
I think it’s been semi professional football in some form for decades, more so now obviously. There are no student athletes in football. But the reality is that theuniversity would be a fraction of what it is today without the football program’s success. It’s essentially a branding mechanism that drives enrollments and donations overall to the university, not just the football program, at schools like PSU or others like Michigan or OSU or Alabama. It’s also an economic driver for central PA.
So it was all her hiring Campbell and Kraft just did what she said? Is that the story? I am not an alumnus of PSU so I don't follow whomever their prez is. I am a big fan of the football program so whatever she can do to keep that juggernaut rolling then I'm all for it.
He would have been a horrible hire. Crumbl sucks too. Those cookies are the definition of junk food. One cookie contains entire lifetime worth of processed sugar
He fell for it... didn't get it in writing but for the "promise" of more money.... most likely see coaches getting their contracts updated now with guaranteed money for them and the program. If the university doesn't provide the cash they can opt out of their contracts.
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