Momentum around Penn State football team's interim head coach keeps building after the 37-10 demolition of Nebraska. Players waved “Hire Terry Smith” signs, Beaver Stadium broke into Terry chants, and the locker room made it clear who they want leading the Nittany Lions beyond 2025.
Now that support is about to be tested in the boardroom. CBS Sports reporter Brandon Marcello reported that Penn State will hold a formal interview with Smith this week, giving him his first official shot at replacing James Franklin permanently, as noticed by 247Sports.
The timing comes one day after Smith told NBC that his “resume was on display” in the Nebraska win and challenged decision-makers to judge his work on Saturdays.
Since taking over on Oct. 12, the longtime assistant has leaned into that audition. Smith has repeatedly said that his players “listen” and “trust” him, calling it “my locker room” and emphasizing that his 12 years as a high school head coach, plus more than a decade in the college ranks, have prepared him to run a program. He pointed to his track record with Penn State defensive backs, helping turn a position that once struggled to send players to the NFL into one of the team’s calling cards.
Smith also highlighted his deep ties to the school. A former Penn State wide receiver from the late 1980s and early 1990s, he has been on staff since 2014 and rose to associate head coach before being tapped as interim.
Former Nittany Lion quarterback Michael Robinson noted on NBC that there is strong backing for Smith among lettermen as well as current players.
Penn State’s resurgence on the field is giving his case real substance. The Nebraska win featured a bruising ground game and a defense that never let the Huskers breathe, exactly the identity fans have been craving.
Running back Nicholas Singleton added his own bit of history in the victory, matching Saquon Barkley’s program records for career rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. He finished with two scores and 95 total yards on just 10 touches, while Kaytron Allen piled up 160 rushing yards and two more TDs to cap a dominant night.
Next up is a trip to Rutgers with bowl eligibility on the line. For Smith, it is one more chance to strengthen his on-field argument while administrators sit down with him behind closed doors to decide whether the man the players already see as their coach will officially become the next face of Penn State football.
