Penn State's Terry Smith Says the Program Is Facing a 'Storm'

The Nittany Lions' interim head coach, adds that the word "quit isn't in my vocabulary."

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State was undefeated after its first bye week nearly a month ago. During its second bye week of the season, the program has an interim head coach and hasn’t won a game since Sept. 13. 

But Terry Smith isn’t giving the Nittany Lions an option to quit. The word, he said, “isn’t in my vocabulary.”

“You’ve got to give your soul,” Penn State’s interim head coach said after practice Tuesday. “Things aren't going our way right now, but the only way to get out of the storm is to run through the storm. And we're going to run through the storm until we get out of the storm, and we'll come out and the sun will shine on us, and we'll all be better.”

After being announced as the interim head coach after James Franklin’s firing, Smith promised to put a better product on the field. He wanted Penn State to start having fun again. But the Nittany Lions lost their fourth straight game, a 25-24 setback at Iowa that dropped their record under .500 for the first time since 2020.

“The message right now is, stay together,” Smith said. “We went and fought. I told you guys last week that we’ll get those guys to play hard. They played extremely hard. They left it up there, and now the key is, finish. There’s plays on the offense, the defense, the special teams where we’re leaving game-changing plays out there. We’ve got to close.”

Penn State’s second bye week comes at a pivotal moment. Smith gets a chance to settle further into the interim role and take extra time to prepare for not only No. 1 Ohio State but also the future of the program.

Juggling new responsibilities

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith looks on against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Smith has been with the program since 2014 — he is the only coach remaining from Franklin’s original coaching staff — and also serves as Penn State’s cornerbacks coach. In 2021, he was named associate head coach. 

It’s safe to say Smith’s list of responsibilities has grown significantly, but this week the chaos has slightly slowed.

“This is a big job,” he said. “This is a CEO job, and it’s so much more than coaching guys on the football field. “It’s all the organization, it’s the media, you’re running everything. All of that was kind of rehashing some old memories of when I was a [high school] head coach, times 10,000.”

In his second week on the job, Smith seemed to be getting more comfortable. And in terms of preparing for the Buckeyes, Smith said he already has watched more of their film than he watched of Iowa’s last week. 

“We’re ahead of the curve, and I think now we’re going to settle on in and kind of get into a routine and just keep putting our best foot forward,” Smith said. 

RELATED: What Penn State's "IF" T-shirts meant at Iowa

Reestablishing recruiting goals

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

In the aftermath of Franklin’s firing, Penn State has lost multiple recruiting commitments from 2026 and ‘27 prospects, while other commits have said they plan to talk with other programs. Smith, the team’s defensive recruiting coordinator, has played a role in bringing some of the top defenders in the country to Penn State.

The key now is getting people to stay. That’s the other battle during this bye week. 

“We’re going to touch base, especially with all our commits and the guys that are kind of on the fringe of, they were committed and now they’re kind of looking around,” Smith said. “... Our message is, Penn State’s had three coaches in 60 years or whatever. We’re gonna hire a great coach, and this place is still Penn State.”

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said that he is looking for a head coach who will be proactive in the new world of college football. The next coaching staff will bring recruits and transfers with it, but Smith is trying to ease the minds of players who initially intended on becoming Nittany Lions.

RELATED: Penn State's offense finds more issues after loss to Iowa

Cleaning up the mistakes

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) scrambles away from Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Xavier Nwankpa (1). | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Smith has plenty of work behind the scenes,  the on-field product needs some tuning as well. Penn State didn’t expect to be in the position, without a Big Ten win heading to Columbus to face the top-ranked Buckeyes. Smith said the team needs to close out games better and prevent “leaving game-changing plays out there,” which applies to all units. 

Playing complementary football is the key, but getting the offense, defense and special teams to work together cohesively has been rare this season.

“Obviously we go up to Ohio State, they’re the best team in the country, they’re the most talented team in the country,” Smith said. “We have to be clicking on all cylinders to give ourselves a chance for that game.”

Penn State visits Ohio State on Nov. 1 for a noon ET kickoff on FOX Big Noon. The Buckeyes (7-0) also have a bye this week.