Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith is shut with former head coach James Franklin.
Smith, who was the affiliate head coach and quarterbacks coach earlier than being promoted when Franklin was fired, has been at Penn State since 2014, not counting his time as a participant there from 1987 to 1991.
Which means he was teaching alongside Franklin, now the top coach at Virginia Tech, for over 10 seasons earlier than Franklin was canned in mid-October. Nonetheless, the 2 stay in nearly fixed contact.
“I speak to him most likely each different day,” Smith mentioned in a current information convention, in accordance with On3. “So I’m in communication with him.”
Terry Smith is aware of that James Franklin can nonetheless have an effect on Penn State Nittany Lions
Though the 2 are shut, it is price noting that Smith is cognizant of the particular hazard that Franklin poses to his outdated program. Franklin recruited lots of the gamers on Penn State’s staff in addition to the gamers of their 2026 and even 2027 recruiting lessons. Within the age of NIL offers and seemingly limitless switch portal entry, Franklin may very properly use these connections to begin build up his new program at Virginia Tech.
Smith appears to be very conscious of that truth, and he is aware of the Nittany Lions are weak.
“The instant menace is to take Penn State gamers,” Smith mentioned, discussing how Franklin can nonetheless affect Penn State within the right here and now. “Proper? With the uncertainty of the following head coach. The locker room is — a very powerful factor that we will do is to guard the locker room. In relation to recruits, highschool recruits, he has a bonus proper now as a result of we don’t have a everlasting head coach.”
Smith will definitely wish to throw his hat within the ring for the brand new head-coaching opening at Penn State, however for now, all he can do is be an excellent steward of this system.
It is a big-time job, and the Nittany Lions could require a big-time title to steer them into the longer term, and Smith shouldn’t be that at this level in his profession.
Potential targets for Penn State embrace Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
