Penn State owes thanks to Terry Smith for his calm leadership [opinion]

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NEW YORK – Penn State’s 2025 football season was disappointing, tumultuous, strange and so much more.

The Nittany Lions began the season ranked second in the top 25, dropped six straight games and then won their final four.

They saw their head coach, James Franklin, fired the day after a second straight loss to a prohibitive underdog and nine months after he led them to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

They lost their starting quarterback, Drew Allar, to an ankle injury at the season’s midpoint.

They endured a two-month search for their next head coach.

They watched several assistant coaches leave and then 12 regulars and others opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl.

All of it was disquieting, to put it mildly.

They needed stability, leadership and reassurance. Terry Smith provided it abundantly.

Smith, a former Penn State receiver and highly successful high school head coach, became the interim head coach when director of athletics Pat Kraft dismissed Franklin. In the midst of turmoil, he calmed the locker room, gave the Lions direction and established an identity.

And Saturday, Penn State dismantled Clemson 22-10 in the bone-chilling Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to finish the season with a winning record and give Smith a victory that he’ll cherish.

“It means everything,” he said. “We lived on this model of sharpening the pencil and writing your own script. We dictated the terms in the last four games. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. They played their hearts out. What a resilient group.

“They could have laid down and quit. They played really, really hard. It’s a testament to Penn State and the character it builds.”

Smith had been a loyal soldier to Franklin, who had hired him as cornerbacks coach in 2014 as part of his first staff. He has sent eight players to the NFL. Inside the Lasch Building, Franklin counted on his honesty, which was blunt at times.

Smith was an easy choice to be the interim coach because of how well he’s respected by the players and fellow coaches.

“Terry’s been a big impact on the whole team,” said freshman cornerback Daryus Dixson, who left his California home to play for Smith. “Nobody really got to see Coach Smith’s personality (until now). He’s showing his character. He’s enthusiastic and just a hard worker.”

Smith took over six days before Penn State played at Iowa in prime time with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer making his first start. The Lions blew a fourth-quarter lead there and lost by one point.

After a bye, they stayed with then-No. 1 Ohio State for a half before the Buckeyes pulled away. They returned home to face then-No. 2 Indiana, rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead and lost it on a spectacular touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. in the final minute.

Then Penn State rolled past Michigan State for Smith’s first win and Nebraska at home, where fans chanted his name for the first time. The Lions became bowl eligible with a narrow victory at Rutgers.

Less than a week later, Kraft finally ended his search by hiring Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as the next head coach. Campbell, who has known Smith for a long time, decided to keep him on his staff.

Smith had one last task as the interim coach, and that was preparing the Lions for the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, which also began the season with high hopes. He had to do it without several star players who opted out and others who left the program, including cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II.

Grunkemeyer passed for a career-high 262 yards and two touchdowns. Quinton Martin Jr. rushed for 101 yards with his first 20 carries of the season behind a makeshift offensive line. Senior Dani Dennis-Sutton, who played when many of his classmates didn’t, had two sacks.

“I love Terry,” said center Dominic Rulli, who made his first career start. “Everybody in that locker room loves Terry. We play for Terry. I’ll give everything to Terry like I did today. We always say the team with the most enthusiasm is going to win. Terry has been preaching that all week and getting us excited.”

When it was over, Smith’s emotions overcame him again.

“This is the greatest moment in my life,” he said before choking up. “It’s just a great moment for me, my family and Penn State. I’m just so happy for our guys.

“I love Penn State. I love football. The game and Penn State have done amazing things for me and my family. I’m just thankful and grateful.”

No. Everyone at Penn State should be thankful and grateful to Terry Smith for a job well done.

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