Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
6 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N ew Penn State football coach Matt Campbell stated the obvious at his introductory news conference on Dec. 8. "I would just say it was critically important for me to keep Terry," the 46-year-old Ohio native said, referring to Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith, who has led the program since James Franklin's dismissal in Octo- ber and received a ground- swell of support from fans, lettermen and current play- ers for the full-time job. Shortly after Campbell was hired, the news broke that Smith had agreed to be part of PSU's new staff. It was a major recruiting win for the incoming head coach. Smith's ties to the pro- gram are longstanding, dating back to his tenure as a wide receiver in the late 1980s and early '90s. He also served as cornerbacks coach for the duration of Franklin's tenure and has gone 3-3 since taking charge of the team. Few, if any, of the recently hired head coaches across college football are for- tunate enough to have someone in their building who can connect with the deep past while also contributing to the suc- cess of the current team. Campbell has that in Smith. The two have known each other since Campbell was coaching at Toledo and Smith was head coach at talent-rich Gateway High in Monroeville, Pa. Smith knows Penn State's history. He has ties to the community of foot- ball lettermen, and he's had a hand in recruiting and/or coaching virtually everyone on the current roster. He's the complete package. "Terry and I have got a great part- nership from his days at Gateway," Campbell said. "I know what he's about and what he stands for. Building a staff is so critical, because you need to build it around the same character values as who you are and what you want your team to stand for." Campbell recalled watching Penn State's 37-10 victory over Nebraska on Nov. 22, a game that burnished Smith's reputation as a leader and motivator. When Campbell was being pursued for the job, one of his first questions for athletics director Patrick Kraft was whether it would be possible to keep Smith on the staff. Kraft was eager to do so, and Campbell was thrilled when Smith agreed to remain at Penn State. "The fact that Terry wants to stay and be a part of this, I couldn't be more grateful, I really mean it, to work hand in hand with him," Campbell said. "Knowing what it means to play here, knowing what it means to coach here, and knowing what it means to lead here, that's huge for me." It had been clear for weeks that Smith hoped to be Penn State's perma- nent head coach. That never appeared likely to happen, but he kept doing the interim job to the best of his ability and will continue to coach the team through the Pinstripe Bowl. Smith's decision to remain at Penn State, despite being floated as a can- didate for open head coaching jobs at Connecticut and Memphis, stemmed from his passion for his alma mater and his familiarity with Campbell. "I love the university," Smith said, "and I've known Matt Campbell probably 15-plus years. When I was a high school head coach, Matt was the head coach at Toledo. He recruited my high school. We went up there and did some seven-on-seven [camps]. Just had a rela- tionship with him. I've known him. I know what he's about. "At this point in my ca- reer, I can only work with certain types of individu- als. We're aligned. He's blue-collar, creates tough- ness and discipline, and he just has the core values of what Penn State repre- sents. I felt like he was the right leader at the time, and I wanted to stay a part of it. And it's worked out for my family. I'm excited that Matt is welcoming me to his staff." Kraft put it best. "Terry is Penn State," PSU's athletics director said. "We made Terry the in- terim head coach because I felt he was the one person in this building to unify the team, and he's shown that. "So, the Terry decision was an ab- solute no-brainer, easy. That's a testa- ment to Terry. I think I've got the best football coach in the country, and I've got a partner for him who will fight for Penn State and lead his kids. I don't know about you, but I feel really good about our chances moving forward." ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM The Matt Campbell Era Begins With An Early Victory THE LAST WORD Explaining his decision to stay at Penn State, Terry Smith said he felt the program was in good hands with the appointment of Campbell as head coach. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL