UNIVERSITY PARK— Interim Penn State HC Terry Smith didn’t dismiss the possibility of joining James Franklin at Virginia Tech.
At this point, just about every Penn State fan wants Smith to stick around in some capacity in 2026.
Whether it’s back in his old role as associate HC, a front office role or even as the next full-time guy, the consensus is that, if Smith isn’t the next full-time guy, whoever that guy is should keep Smith in Happy Valley.
But all the reasons Penn State and its fans would want Smith to stay in Happy Valley are also why Franklin would want him at Virginia Tech, and Smith was asked about that in Wednesday’s post-practice media scrum.
WHAT SMITH SAID
“Anything’s a possibility. I love the game of football. I will be coaching the game of football on Saturday … God willing, next Saturday. And then after that, we’ll let business take care of business.”
Smith made it clear in the past month that he’s also open to staying at Penn State.
“I love Penn State,” Smith said near the end of October. “Any opportunity that will present itself, I would pray on it and would entertain the opportunity to always stay here.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“We just don’t know what’s next. So I’m grounded in my feet right now, and my job is to lead this team the rest of this season and just worry about beating Ohio State.”
Now, Smith and Penn State are focused on beating Nebraska.
SMITH ON FRANKLIN
For as much as Smith loves his alma mater— a love that drove him to tears earlier this week— Smith and Franklin formed a bond over the past decade. That bond was so strong that Franklin made it clear to Smith long before his October firing that if anything ever happened, Smith would be the guy to take over Penn State football.
Now, Smith is the guy in charge at Penn State, and Franklin already has his next stop.
“I’m really happy for him,” Smith said. “In this industry of coaching, we all go through highs and lows. At some point, if you’re coaching, you’re going to get fired at some point.
“I’m just happy for him and his family to bounce back so soon.”
