Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M tany Lion was excelling as head football coach. "Some guys have a presence," Frank- lin recalled. "You walk in, and he has a presence. You see how the students interact with him. You see how the ad- ministration interacts with him — the pride and the respect that they have for him. The guy is special. I could tell that right away. I thought he was go- ing to be a guy who has a chance to go to the next level and be successful." Franklin brought Smith aboard, put him in charge of the Nittany Lions' cornerbacks and gave him a supervi- sory role in the recruitment of defen- sive players. In the dozen seasons that followed, Smith became an indispens- able part of the staff, turning out NFL- caliber defensive backs with regularity while also establishing himself as one of the program's most persuasive re- cruiters. It didn't hurt that he also bled blue and white. The son of a 1968 Penn State graduate, Smith was a four-year Nit- tany Lion letterman and a captain on the 1991 team, which finished 11-2 and routed Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl. His playing experience and familiarity with the school, coupled with a glitter- ing high school résumé and a year spent coaching wide receivers on Matt Rhule's staff at Temple, made him the perfect candidate for a spot on Franklin's staff. Said the new PSU head coach, "It was a no-brainer." And while no one knew it at the time, that résumé also made Smith the per- fect candidate for another job requiring a commanding presence and a thorough understanding of Penn State's football culture. 'I Was Stunned' Smith and his fellow coaches were getting ready for the Nittany Lions' usual Sunday meeting on the afternoon of Oct. 12 when they received a life- changing piece of news. The team was coming off a 22-21 loss to Northwestern the day before in which the underdog Wildcats had put together a 75-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drive to erase the hosts' lead. It was Penn State's third loss in a row, and this one was particularly grim in that senior quarterback Drew Allar had suffered a season-ending injury while trying un- successfully to rally the offense late in the fourth quarter. Franklin was showered with boos as he headed into the tunnel following the de- feat. He had spent years encouraging fans to pack Beaver Stadium for every game, and now they'd turned on him, roaring with disapproval amid the ruins of a sea- son that only weeks earlier had been in- spiring national championship dreams. Athletics director Patrick Kraft had watched it all unfold and decided that the program's long-term outlook was not trending toward championship con- tention. Shortly before the team's 1:45 meeting on Sunday, the staff got word that Franklin had been fired. "I was stunned," Smith admitted, "like most people in the building, most people around the country." He had to regroup in a hurry, because Kraft's plan for the rest of the season was for Smith to take charge. Kraft felt that Smith gave Penn State its best chance of salvaging some portion of its 2026 recruiting class, and he also viewed the former Nittany Lion wide receiver as the kind of leader whom people would rally around, both inside and outside of the Lasch Building. "Terry is a proud Penn Stater," Kraft said. "He helped build this program as both a player and coach, and he under- stands what it means to wear the blue and white. I am confident in him, and I can tell you he will pour his heart and soul into this role. Our players and fans deserve nothing less." Smith's first task was to rebuild morale in a locker room that had been shaken by the losing streak and then blindsided by Franklin's dismissal. "There are guys who are shocked that it happened," he said. "We didn't antici- pate this. The staff didn't anticipate this, but it happened. Every person who's in the Lasch Foot- ball Building, James Fra n k l i n b ro u g h t them there. From the coaches to the staff to all the per- sonnel in the build- ing — he brought every one of us there. There is an attach- ment to him. There is a sense of loyalty to him. "Now it's my job to press us forward. It's my job to [ensure that we] represent Penn State in a proud fashion. We have to get our grittiness back, our toughness, our swag, and most importantly, we have to go have fun, enjoy playing the game of football." The schedule did Penn State no favors, serving up a visit to Iowa the week after the Northwestern loss. Smith was making his head coaching debut, while redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer was start- ing at quarterback for the first time, and it was all taking place in one of the Big Ten's most raucous stadiums. The Lions showed plenty of heart, jumping out to an early lead after a first-quarter intercep- tion by senior safety Zakee Wheatley, but Iowa clawed back and won, 25-24. The Lions' next game was at Ohio State, an even tougher draw. After a com- petitive first half that ended with Penn State trailing the No. 1 Buckeyes by only a field goal, the bottom fell out and PSU lost, 38-14. A heartbreaking 27-24 loss to No. 2 Indiana followed a week later. Through it all, Smith has preached re- silience. The Nittany Lions have some personnel shortcomings that can't be addressed in-season, but they can bring the right mindset into their remaining games, and Smith has emphasized the need to do so. "We just have to press forward. 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." S M I T H