Apr 13, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions assistant head coach and defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith walks onto the field prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Over his 12 seasons at Penn State, James Franklin became a fixture of the school's football program.

Penn State largely excelled under his watch, going 104-45, appearing in five New Year’s Six bowl games (three of which it won), winning a Big Ten championship and making it to the semifinals of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff last season.

His teams regularly fell short in their biggest games, however, going 1-18 against Big Ten teams ranked in the top-10 nationally at the time of the matchup. After losses to UCLA and Northwestern dropped the preseason No. 3 team to 3-3, Franklin was fired on Oct. 12, a move that comes with a reported buyout of nearly $50 million.

Because of that, someone other than Franklin will be roaming the sideline as the Nittany Lions’ head coach for the first time in over a decade.

Heading into Penn State’s game on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Iowa, here’s a closer look at Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith:

Who is coaching Penn State?

Following Franklin’s surprising ouster last weekend, Penn State will be led for the remainder of the 2025 season by interim head coach Terry Smith.

A former standout wide receiver under Joe Paterno in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Smith had been with Franklin throughout his tenure in State College. For that whole time, Smith has served as the Nittany Lions’ defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach. Since 2021, he’s had the added title of associate head coach.

Smith oversaw a consistently productive group of cornerbacks, coaching the likes of Joey Porter Jr., Kalen King, Daequan Hardy and Johnny Dixon in recent years. Since 2015, seven Penn State cornerbacks have been selected in the NFL draft, tied for the most nationally among FBS programs. In each of the past three years, the Nittany Lions have had multiple defense backs drafted.

Smith has been a valuable asset for Penn State on the recruiting trail, as well, helping the Nittany Lions secure top-15 classes nationally in nine of the past 11 years. In 2023, 247Sports ranked him as the No. 4 recruiter in the Big Ten.

He’ll take over a program in a difficult position beyond its players adjusting to life without the man who recruited them there. Penn State first has to go on the road to take on a 4-2 Iowa team before back-to-back matchups at No. 1 Ohio State and against No. 3 Indiana. Two weeks after facing the Hoosiers, it will host Nebraska, whose coach, Matt Rhule, is a Penn State alum who is widely considered to be one of the top candidates to replace Franklin. Given the difficulty of their remaining schedule, and with quarterback Drew Allar out for the rest of the season, the Nittany Lions may do well to get bowl eligible.

“It's my job to press us forward,” Smith said in a news conference on Monday, Oct. 13. “It's my job for us to be where our feet are, be grounded right here, and be able to represent Penn State in a proud fashion. We have to get our grittiness back, our toughness, our swag, and most importantly, we have to go have fun, enjoy playing the game of football.”

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said Smith will have a chance at earning the full-time head coaching position.

Terry Smith coaching career

Before getting to Penn State in 2014, Smith was the wide receivers coach for one season at Temple under Matt Rhule, which marked his first foray into FBS coaching. Earlier in his career, Smith had been the passing coordinator from 1997-2000 at Duquesne, an FCS school in Pittsburgh.

Many of Smith’s formative years coaching occurred at the high school level, in his native Western Pennsylvania. From 2002-2012, he was the head coach at Gateway High School in suburban Pittsburgh, his alma mater. During that time, his teams went 101-30 and were the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League runner-ups four times.

Here’s a stop-by-stop look at Smith’s coaching career:

  • 2025: Penn State interim head coach
  • 2021-25: Penn State associate head coach, defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach
  • 2016-20: Penn State assistant head coach, defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach
  • 2014-16: Penn State defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach
  • 2013: Temple wide receivers coach
  • 2003-12: Gateway High School head coach and athletic director
  • 2002: Gateway High School head coach
  • 2001: Gateway High School offensive coordinator
  • 1997-2000: Duquesne passing coordinator
  • 1996: Hempfield High School assistant coach

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is coaching Penn State? Meet Nittany Lions interim coach after James Franklin firing

Reporting by Craig Meyer, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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