Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
2 2 D E C 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 "We just have to press forward," he said. "We're in the storm. We can't run from it. We have to embrace it, and we have to fight it. The only way we can do it is together. I feel like our locker room is still together. Sooner or later, this will turn, and this too will pass." Telling Hard Truths Smith has described himself as a "truth teller," and Penn State fans have had a chance in recent weeks to see what his version of radical transparency looks like. Smith has been upfront about the hard feelings in PSU's locker room after Franklin was dismissed, and he's contin- ued to tell difficult truths about the chal- lenges of preparing a struggling Nittany Lion squad to face some of the best teams in the country. Something else that Smith has been honest about is his desire to remain at Penn State after the 2025 season ends. Kraft vowed that Smith "will be con- sidered a candidate" for the permanent head coaching job, and the veteran as- sistant has said he wants it. "If the opportunity did present itself for me to be the head coach permanently, absolutely, I would love that opportu- nity," he said. He's also aware of the pressure that Penn State faces to make a high-profile hire that will attract national attention. Among the names that have been floated are Mike Elko of Texas A&M, Lane Kif- fin of Ole Miss, Kalen DeBoer of Ala- bama and even Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame. All four had their teams in con- tention for the College Football Playoff as of early November. In the early days of the search, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were also mentioned as potential targets, though neither of those two champion- ship-winning coaches ever seemed like more than a fever dream. What that means for Smith is anyone's guess with the search still likely weeks away from reaching its conclusion. He's a lifelong Penn Stater and the only mem- ber of Franklin's original PSU staff who's still on the job. And yet, his professional fate might be to leave his alma mater be- hind after guiding it through one of the most wrenching transitions in program history, a change that no one saw coming only a few weeks earlier. "The reality is, no one knows who is going to be here," Smith said. "When the next head coach is hired, that person could wipe the whole building out. "We're just trying to stay grounded, keep our feet on the ground and be pro- fessionals. The young men in the locker room, they deserve that. They're show- ing up to work every single day, so us as a staff, we have to give 110 percent for these guys. That's what we're going to continue to do." ■ Smith was chosen to lead the Nittany Lions after James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12. Before joining Penn State's staff, he was the head coach at Gateway High in Monroeville, Pa. PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL