Blue White Illustrated

November 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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7 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State's football game against Iowa on Oct. 18 marked the start of the Terry Smith coaching era in State College. Throughout the week leading up to the Nittany Lions' trip to Iowa City, it was admittedly odd to hear someone other than James Frank- lin discuss an impending matchup. But that was the situation after Franklin was fired on Oct. 12 by athletics direc- tor Patrick Kraft. The possibility of Franklin being let go came to seem more realistic in the hours after Penn State lost to North- western, 22-21, on Oct. 11. That, in turn, led to speculation about who the interim head coach would be. Immediately, it was clear that Smith, a PSU letterman who has high school head coaching experience and became Franklin's right-hand man during his tenure in State College, was both the obvious and only choice. His joint news conference with Kraft on Oct. 13 con- firmed the wisdom of that selection. Smith knows how to command a room. His message is direct — not only to reporters, but assuredly to his play- ers and fellow coaches. And his love for the place — and his hurt for where it is right now — comes through clearly. "I call this place home," Smith said. "Love this place. I love the blue and the white. I'm proud to be sitting in front of you for our program. We need to stick together, stay focused, keep the standard the standard. Nothing changes when it comes to the expecta- tion. As Pat alluded to earlier, we need to get back to being tough, gritty and passionate. "Our players and staff will respond with great energy this week. I'm ex- cited for the opportunity to lead every- one in the Lasch Building. The players, staff and myself are going to continue to represent Penn State with pride. We will continue to do it the right way." Smith's words had to hit home with fans, alumni and lettermen alike. And there is every reason to think they will be received well internally, too. He is the right man for this moment. There are changes coming within the program in the weeks and months ahead — some big, some small. Kraft clearly wants change, or he wouldn't have made the tough decision to fire one of the winningest coaches in pro- gram history. Looking back through his answers at his media appearance with Smith, one thing was clear: Kraft believes Penn State needs to approach the transfer portal very differently than it has in the past, while also using its money for the roster in different ways. "You have to be able to recruit in the transfer portal at a high level, and so how do you use your resources in the right way to build a roster?" he said in response to a question about all the money sloshing around college football these days. At another point in his news conference, he said this: "Our next coach needs to be able to maxi- mize elite-level resources, attack the transfer portal, and develop at the highest level. "We are blessed because of our fans and alums, and the support we receive [to be able to] do more than most," Kraft continued. "We have elite resources here. That allows us to be able to have real conversa- tions and put our resources to the test in the best di- rection." It's quite evident that he did not believe Franklin and company were maxi- mizing those resources, so he made a change halfway through the regular season. Whoever earns the full-time job will be directed to go in that "best" direction. Can Penn State put its emotions behind it to push forward on the field for the rest of the year? That was one question left unanswered in the days that followed Franklin's dismissal. Both Kraft and Smith were emotional at dif- ferent points in their news conferences. It's easy to understand why. Both had incredible moments with Franklin. They are each undoubtedly pained by the current situation they are in. As for the players, the hurt is real. Franklin sat in their homes to recruit them and was a presence in their lives since the days before they stepped foot on campus. Now he's gone. And this program must find a way to make peace with that reality, then try to turn things around. Penn State is playing for pride at this point. Channeling that emotion into something positive is the only way to get back to their winning ways. It won't be easy, but Smith gives them their best chance of doing that. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM The Right Man For The Moment THE LAST WORD At his introduction as PSU's interim head coach, Terry Smith urged the Nittany Lions to "get back to being tough, gritty and passionate." PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS

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