Penn State names interim head coach after firing James Franklin
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Penn State has named its interim head coach after parting ways with James Franklin on Sunday.
Terry Smith, the program’s cornerbacks coach, will lead the program on an interim basis, the university’s athletic department announced.
Smith, a wide receiver for the Nittany Lions during the late 1980s and early 1990s under Joe Paterno, was one of Franklin’s initial hires at Penn State ahead of the 2014 season. He returned to the program after a season as wide receivers coach at Temple. Before that, he primarily held roles at the high school level in the Keystone State, starting as an assistant at Hempfield High School near Pittsburgh.
After four years at Duquesne as its passing game coordinator, he returned to the high school ranks, joining Gateway High School, his alma mater, as its offensive coordinator before serving as its head coach for 11 seasons. His record was 101-30 in that time span.
Penn State played to a 13-3 record and advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024. But after a 3-0 start to 2025, its hopes for a return trip to the Playoffs have been dashed after losing three straight to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern.
The Nittany Lions next face Iowa in Week 8.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
