PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Penn State’s roller coaster regular season has reached its conclusion, with the Nittany Lions winning three straight to earn a bowl game.
But now comes uncertainty.
Penn State needs a new coach. Players will have the opportunity to enter the transfer portal shortly after. An entire coaching staff will need to be filled out.
And it all starts with the man who has led this second-half turnaround toward bowl eligibility: interim coach Terry Smith.
Two weeks ago, after Penn State broke a six-game losing streak at Michigan State, players gave Smith a Gatorade bath and carried him on their shoulders.
One week ago, after Smith won his first game at Beaver Stadium over Nebraska, the crowd broke into multiple “TERR-Y, TERR-Y, TERR-Y” chants and players paraded around the field with signs that read “Hire Terry Smith.”
Then, Smith went into the postgame press conference and made a very public pitch for himself as the next coach in Happy Valley.
Smith said all along he’d be interested in being the full-time man. But the push for him in the role reached a fever pitch over the past few weeks. He said he anticipated there would be a chance to interview with athletic director Pat Kraft over the past week.
Smith also last week reiterated he’d consider any opportunities to stay on staff, even if it’s not as head coach.
And he explained Saturday night after beating Rutgers, 40-36, how thankful he was for the opportunity to lead his Nittany Lions.
“It taught me that I know I can truly do this job. It taught me patience,” Smith said. “It taught me the role of one of the biggest jobs in college football. And it taught me that I have a special bond with people and my players, and that when I go forward in coaching, I have to take advantage of that and really build on that.
“I’m a trust guy, and I always tell my guys when I recruit them, I will give trust first so that you can trust me second. Trust is earned. That’s why they care for me.
“I’m chewing (cornerback) Zion Tracy out, and he’s staring down my throat because he knows I love him, and I’m giving him proper correction. That’s what that bond is. I appreciate these guys. They work really hard, and I can’t ask more of them.
“It’s been a good run for me.”
Smith did not answer directly when asked if he’d been given more clarity on his future at Penn State, whether that be as a candidate for the head coaching position or remaining as an assistant at his alma mater.
But he did acknowledge how strongly he came into last week’s postgame press conference and laughed about it. He took a much more measured approach this time around.
Smith also did not have a timetable for how things may play out moving forward.
But, regardless of what happens next, a man who poured his heart out for the university deeply appreciated what transpired over the past month and a half.
He was also undoubtedly the right man to follow James Franklin’s firing, rallying the Nittany Lions with elite motivation, noticeable changes to schemes and a win-now mindset that blocked out whatever may happen over the next few weeks.
Will he stick with the Lions? Will he follow Franklin to Virginia Tech? Could something else unexpected happen?
We’ll find out soon.
“I’m just thankful we won a game. I’m thankful we have an opportunity to go to a bowl game,” Smith said. “Thankful for these guys that played their hearts out for all of us.”
