Amid a turbulent season at Penn State, Terry Smiths leadership, recruiting savvy, and deep ties to the program make him a compelling candidate for a pivotal off-field role.
Terry Smith may not be the next head coach at Penn State, but don’t mistake that for irrelevance. His impact on the program-past, present, and potentially future-runs far deeper than a title. As Penn State’s interim head coach, Smith has stepped into a chaotic season and brought something this team desperately needed: stability, accountability, and a voice that resonates.
In a year where the Nittany Lions have been hit with just about everything-a winless Big Ten record, a fired head coach, the loss of their starting quarterback and one of their top defensive players, and a string of gut-wrenching fourth-quarter collapses-Smith has kept the locker room intact. That’s no small feat.
“Coach Terry has done a great job of just emphasizing that we’re not quitting,” said defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton after Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Indiana. “You can’t quit. You can’t quit in life, and if you quit now, you’re going to be a quitter forever.”
That message might not be revolutionary, but it’s hitting home. This team had every reason to fold weeks ago.
After a brutal loss at Iowa, after falling behind by double digits in the third quarter against Indiana, after yet another late-game lead slipped away-this group could have checked out. Instead, they were leading the undefeated, second-ranked Hoosiers with just over a minute left.
That’s not a team that’s quit. That’s a team still fighting, still believing, and still listening to its coach.
Smith, a Penn State alum and former wide receiver, is exactly where he needs to be right now. He might not engineer a miracle turnaround.
He might not win a game as interim head coach. But he’s making sure this team doesn’t unravel.
And that, in itself, is a win.
“It would mean a lot,” said center Nick Dawkins, reflecting on what a win would mean for Smith. “I really thought we were going to get this one today. We thought we were going to win this one, because he pours so much into us, and he takes it on the chin… It means a lot, because he is Penn State.”
There’s a real conversation to be had about Smith’s future with the program-not necessarily as head coach, but perhaps in a different kind of leadership role. A general manager position, for instance, could be a natural fit.
College football’s GM role is still evolving across the country, often shaped around recruiting, roster management, and NIL strategy. Smith checks a lot of those boxes.
He’s a proven recruiter, especially in the critical Philadelphia region, where Penn State has needed a strong presence. When the program lost ground there in 2020, it was Smith who was sent in to reestablish connections. He’s known for his no-nonsense style-direct, but never disrespectful-and players respond to that.
“He calls everybody out,” said linebacker Amare Campbell. “That’s the way I like to be. Don’t sugarcoat anything.”
Smith’s authenticity carries weight. He’s not just a coach on the sideline-he’s a bridge between generations of Penn State football.
He played under Joe Paterno in the late 1980s, and he’s never hidden what that legacy means to him. After the Indiana game, Smith did something that hasn’t happened much in recent years: he mentioned Paterno by name in the postgame press conference.
“I think back to Joe Paterno, and him running on the field,” Smith said. “I’m in the same position as he was.
I have to do better for my guys. We have to taste victory, because they deserve it.”
Smith’s connection to the past isn’t just sentimental-it’s functional. During his 11+ years on James Franklin’s staff, he became one of the most trusted voices in the building.
That’s particularly notable considering he wasn’t part of Franklin’s original Vanderbilt crew. Franklin brought him in from Temple in 2014 because he wanted a Penn State voice on the staff.
Smith became much more than that.
He’s helped shape the roster from all angles-recruiting, development, and retention. And over the past month, he’s quietly stepped into the head-coaching role with a sense of purpose.
At Iowa, he wore a shirt with a single word: “IF.” Interpret that how you will, but the message was clear-possibility, belief, resilience.
The Nittany Lions lost by a single point.
At Ohio State, Smith came in with a clear plan: limit explosive plays and force the Buckeyes to work for every yard. The execution didn’t match the vision in a 38-14 loss, but the preparation was evident.
Against Indiana, the plan was to loosen the reins on quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, get Nicholas Singleton going, and eliminate defensive breakdowns. Penn State outgained Indiana, Grunkemeyer outthrew Fernando Mendoza, and Singleton broke off a 59-yard run.
They were right there. But once again, the lead slipped away late.
A 63-yard punt into the end zone instead of pinning Indiana deep. A third-and-long that couldn’t be converted. And then Mendoza, with less than a minute to go, delivered a highlight-reel throw to Omar Cooper Jr. that might go down as the defining play of the 2025 season.
Still, the players aren’t pointing fingers.
“I thought we had a pretty decent game as a defense,” Dennis-Sutton said. “But when it mattered, we didn’t show up. And that’s what defense is about.”
“He works his ass off,” Dawkins added. “And we have so much respect for him and we’re just dissatisfied that we’re not able to get a winning result for him.”
Smith knows the odds. He’s made it clear he wants to be Penn State’s next head coach, but he’s also realistic.
“The reality is, no one knows who is going to be here [next season],” Smith said before the Indiana game. “When the next head coach is hired, that person could wipe the whole building out.”
But if that next head coach is smart, they’ll find a way to keep Smith around. He’s not just a coach.
He’s a connector. A culture-builder.
A Penn State guy through and through.
And as the program heads into a new era-one that will almost certainly look different from the Franklin years-Smith could be the one who helps guide that transition while keeping the soul of Penn State football intact.
