In the moments following Micah Shrewsberry’s announced departure, one name immediately surfaced as the first call athletic director Pat Kraft should make, Adam Fisher.

The Penn State alum already has an office in the Bryce Jordan Center, hired as Micah Shrewsberry’s associate head coach in 2021, a hire that was heavily celebrated.

“He is well liked, a hard worker and a family man,” Shrewsberry said in 2021 when hiring Fisher. “The more I talked to him, the more I noticed how our values aligned. He is also a loyal Penn Stater who will fight every day to help us be successful. I’m excited to welcome Adam, Rebecca and Alivia to our basketball family!”

The introductory statement was the first of a number of glowing reviews Shrewsberry gave the Jamesinon, PA native. Fisher is clearly not just liked by his boss, players have voiced their support of him too.

In the hours following Shrewsberry’s announcement, Andrew Funk, Jalen Pickett, Myles Dread and Cam Wynter all took to social media to promote Fisher. “HIRE COACH FISH KEEP THE SUCCESS GOING !!!!!” Pickett tweeted. “Don’t overthink it, Adam Fisher is the man for the job” Funk added. While none of those four will be on the roster in 2023, it’s clear they support Fisher.

In 2021, Fisher was hired away from Miami, where he spent eight season with Miami under Jim Larrañaga. He also has ties to Villanova, and Boston University.

One of the largest challenges facing Penn State moving forward is stability. Shrewsberry’s exit is late in the coaching cycle, with a heavily depleted roster, continuity could be important. Penn State has three recruits commited next year, Braeden Shrewsberry, Micah’s son, is presumably not coming to Penn State. Logan Imes, a AAU teammate of Shrewsberry could possibly dip, too. The real question is what does Carey Booth do?

Booth is the son of former Nittany Lion Calvin Booth, now the General Manager of the Denver Nuggets. He’s the program’s second highest graded prospect, per 247 Sports. Fisher is directly tied to his recruitment and could play a pivotal in retaining him.

It was known that Shrewsberry’s fate was the biggest challenge Pat Kraft has faced as Penn State’s Athletic Director. The spunky, high energy leader is easy to gravitate to and will have to work quick. Fair or not, failing to retain Shrewsberry will at least leave a temporary bruise on his resume. How that bruise heals hangs on decisions he will make in the coming days.