{"id":82919,"date":"2025-11-24T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=82919"},"modified":"2025-11-23T22:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:02:09","slug":"terry-smith-is-forcing-his-way-into-penn-states-coaching-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/11\/24\/terry-smith-is-forcing-his-way-into-penn-states-coaching-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Terry Smith Is Forcing His Way Into Penn States Coaching Search"},"content":{"rendered":"

Penn State looked broken a month ago. Six straight losses, a fired head coach, and a roster that could have checked out on the season. Instead, under interim coach Terry Smith<\/a>, the program has started to swing back.<\/p>\n

A Locker Room That Would Not Fold<\/h3>\n

Since halftime of the Indiana game, Penn State has outscored Indiana, Michigan State, and Nebraska by a combined 82 to 30, with two wins and a near-upset of the second-ranked Hoosiers. The same players who looked tight and tentative in September now play fast, loose, and angry. Smith has not been shy about why. He calls out stars in team meetings, demands accountability from assistants, and leans into the standard he believes the place still holds.<\/p>\n

After the Nebraska win, he summed up his pitch in one line. \u201cI was always ready to be a head coach. I am a leader of men. You guys are witnessing it. You see it every day.\u201d The team is responding. Effort has jumped, body language has flipped, and late-season November football suddenly looks like an audition rather than a funeral march.<\/p>\n

Offense Finally Looks Like It Has Teeth<\/h3>\n

For most of the year, the offense dragged this roster down. The scheme under Andy Kotelnicki<\/a> leaned on horizontal throws, cute formations, and a short passing game that never scared anyone. Under Smith, the message has changed. Attack. The vertical passing game has finally shown up. Freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has been allowed to push the ball between the numbers and down the seams. When that happens, the field opens for the backs.<\/p>\n

Smith has also made it clear that Kaytron Allen<\/a> and Nick Singleton<\/a> are the heartbeat. He keeps repeating that they have to touch the ball for Penn State to win, and the usage has followed. Against Michigan State and Nebraska, the pair piled up yards and touchdowns while the offense leaned into a physical identity again. Those performances also pushed the duo into program history.<\/p>\n

Allen moved past Evan Royster to become Penn State\u2019s all-time leading rusher, a mark that once looked untouchable. Singleton climbed another ladder of his own by passing Saquon Barkley for the most rushing and total touchdowns in school history. Both records carry weight inside the building, and both backs have credited Smith for keeping them involved and confident. \u201cTonight, we witnessed greatness from Kaytron Allen. Penn State\u2019s been playing football for an awful long time, and to be the number one rusher in the history of this place is an impressive thing that he accomplished tonight. Nick Singleton tied the career touchdown mark set by Saquon Barkley. Just another unbelievable effort by the tandem. It\u2019s the dynamic duo. They are unbelievable”, Smith said postgame.<\/p>\n

Singleton has become more involved as a receiver, which stresses linebackers and safeties and creates wider run lanes for both backs. The line still has flaws, but the calls now make more sense for the personnel. The offense looks like it finally knows what it wants to be.<\/p>\n

Fans, Players, and a TV Voice Join the Push<\/h3>\n

If this were just a late-season bump, the story might stop there. It is not. The push for Smith has gone public. After the Nebraska win, players sprinted around Beaver Stadium with \u201cHire Terry Smith\u201d signs. Smith walked off to fans chanting his name and later admitted the show of support moved him. \u201cMy players love me unconditionally. I love them unconditionally. Their support means everything to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Former quarterback Michael Robinson used a national TV halftime segment to back Smith on NBC. \u201cThey all said they want Terry Smith to be their head coach,\u201d he said of the current roster. Robinson went even further. \u201cI personally think Terry Smith should be the head coach.\u201d Robinson also blasted outside candidates who use Penn State for leverage, arguing that Smith\u2019s roots and the way the team is fighting for him should matter. That message landed with a fan base tired of watching its program serve as a bargaining chip every hiring cycle.<\/p>\n

Lettermen have shown up in numbers. Smith wore a \u201c409\u201d button for Joe Paterno and talked about how many former players now hold visible roles around the program. Fair or not, that symbolism resonates in State College.<\/p>\n

The Case Against Playing It Safe<\/h3>\n

For athletic director Pat Kraft<\/a>, the appeal is obvious. Smith has stabilized the locker room, revived the product, and carries strong backing from players, alumni, and a growing slice of the fan base. He is a proven recruiter and already knows every corner of Pennsylvania high school football.<\/p>\n

There are real risks, though. Smith has never been a head coach at the college level before this stretch. One hot month does not guarantee he can manage staff hires, scheme evolution, and roster churn over five or ten years. He is not an offensive architect, and in today\u2019s sport, that matters. If he keeps the job, the Kotelnicki question looms. The offense only changed after Smith forced adjustments. Handing the keys back without more structural change would undercut the whole argument for continuity.<\/p>\n

Kraft also has to consider optics. Firing James Franklin<\/a>, then promoting a longtime assistant from the same tree, would feel like a half measure to some boosters who want a clean break. If it fails, the criticism will be brutal.<\/p>\n

Could the Right Staff Make It Work<\/h3>\n

Where the idea gets interesting is staff building. Smith does not have to be the scheme guy. His strength is culture, recruiting, and alignment. That can work if he pairs it with an aggressive offensive coordinator hire and keeps defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in place. Knowles has had rough stretches, but his track record and pressure packages still play in the Big Ten. Keeping him would give Smith immediate credibility on that side of the ball and allow most of the defensive roster to stay in systems they now know.<\/p>\n

On offense, Penn State could throw real money at an up-and-coming play caller with NFL concepts and portal appeal. There are younger coordinators across the country with proven results in tempo, spacing, and quarterback development. A massive title and salary might pry one free if Kraft makes that a priority.<\/p>\n

Where Terry Smith Stands in a Crowded Coaching Field<\/h3>\n

Kraft is not operating in a vacuum. Every major coaching carousel name has been mentioned somewhere: Brent Key\u2019s loss to Pitt raised new questions at Georgia Tech, Eli Drinkwitz<\/a> is getting SEC interest but feels more regional than Big Ten, and Kalen DeBoer still draws national attention in a place where pressure can turn fast if rivalry games go wrong. Those coaches have r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, agents, buyouts, and the sense that Penn State might be a stop rather than a destination.<\/p>\n

Then there is Brian Hartline<\/a>, the wildcard who will remain part of this conversation until Kraft makes a hire. Hartline is not a coordinator target. He is a legitimate head coaching candidate because he checks every modern box. He is an elite recruiter, a national personality, an offensive architect, and a builder of NFL-ready receivers without effort. Leaving Ohio State would require an extraordinary offer, but there is only so long he can sit behind Ryan Day if he wants to run his own program. Penn State may be the rare place big enough to justify that jump.<\/p>\n

If Hartline were hired, Kraft should still keep Smith in a major role. Smith is too embedded in the roster, too essential to culture and accountability, and too important to Pennsylvania recruiting to lose. A Hartline-Smith partnership could be uniquely strong. Hartline would bring offensive star power and national reach. Smith would anchor the identity, the defense, the retention, and the internal leadership Hartline would need in his first head coaching role. Smith\u2019s experience managing staff alignment and player engagement would give Hartline the operational balance he lacks.<\/p>\n

Yet Smith remains the only candidate for whom this job is not a stepping stone. For him, this is home. That matters here more than outsiders understand.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Penn State looked broken a month ago. Six straight losses, a fired head coach, and a roster that could have checked out on the season. Instead, under interim coach Terry Smith, the program has started to swing back. A Locker Room That Would Not Fold Since halftime of the Indiana game, Penn State has outscored […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5544,"featured_media":82930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,17,35610],"tags":[9462,3406,8115,33994],"class_list":["post-82919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-news","category-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-brent-key","tag-jim-knowles","tag-kalen-deboer","tag-michael-robinson"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82919"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82931,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82919\/revisions\/82931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}