If head coaching decisions were run the same as political elections, Terry Smith would own a heck of an advantage over the rest of the candidates to become the next person in charge of Penn State football.
For one, he has name recognition.
As in: We know he’s running.
We don’t know who else might want the job.
And more to the point is the massive opportunity to gain public support as the interim head coach who took over when James Franklin was fired Oct. 12. There still were six games remaining on the schedule, so someone had to be in charge. As a popular former Nittany Lions player, a Pennsylvania native who was greatly accomplished as a high school coach and deeply connected through the recruiting community, Smith was ideally positioned to become someone who would be supported as Franklin’s replacement.
“No one knows Penn State better than me,” Smith said in a Monday press conference. “Of all the candidates that are out there, I know the history of Penn State, I know the culture, the DNA. I know the locker room. I know the administration.”
He’s not wrong. And so this stands as one very good example of why the “fire Coach now!” Contagion isn’t good for any of the programs following this course. Making a coaching change during a college season does nothing more than satiate the hunger to punish a coach for failing to meet whatever goals that particular program established. Does it feel good in the moment? Apparently, because so many are eager to take their swing.
It generally does not make the team better. The eight Power 4 teams that fired their coaches in-season are a combined 11-33 since the changes, compared to 18-26 before. The notion that the players might wish to hear a fresh voice, might be inspired by the change, is only verified in the most broken circumstances.
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My goodness, Florida fired Billy Napier not long after the Gators beat Mississippi State, and they have lost every game since, by a combined margin of 65 points.
Neither do these early dismissals typically give programs the desired head start in the search for the next head coach. Arkansas has been looking for Sam Pittman’s replacement for 59 days. Oklahoma State’s been at it five days longer than that, though they are reportedly closing in on North Texas coach Eric Morris. They were in a heck of a hurry to fire Mike Gundy, and he’s literally one of them. He played quarterback for the Cowboys, finishing his career in 1989, then spent all but five years of a 35-year coaching career in Stillwater. They couldn’t wait to get rid of him?
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For those seeking decent people who also are capable football coaches, there’s no advantage to declaring one’s interest early. If the administrators (and whatever big-money boosters have a voice) determine their coach must go, there need not be an opening publicly for the athletic director to make phone calls to Jimmy Sexton and Trace Armstrong to see which of their clients might be available and willing to move.
The circumstance in which Penn State finds itself is not beyond resolution. As wonderful a representative as Smith is for the university, it would seem curious if the candidate identified as the best replacement for someone fired with double-digit wins the previous three years was someone deeply involved in whatever dissatisfied so many.
It is risky to get into the interim business, and it’s usually a good idea to enter only when necessary. Because when interim coaches excel, or even just do OK, there is almost inevitable pressure to keep that person in place. And it rarely turns out great.
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Clay Helton took over USC on an interim basis after Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence and later was dismissed. He went 5-4 and was elevated to the position fulltime. There were a couple good years, but the Trojans decided they’d had enough of him after a 1-1 start to the 2021 season. Illinois transformed Bill Cubit from interim to permanent coach a decade ago, and he lasted only for one year.
Texas fired basketball coach Chris Beard in December 2022 after his arrest on domestic violence charges. Rodney Terry did such a magnificent job keeping the Longhorns together and moving forward, reaching the NCAA Elite Eight, AllSportsPeople named Terry its national Coach of the Year. And UT promoted him to head coach – then let him go after he reached a third consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2025.
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Smith’s supporters could cite Dabo Swinney at Clemson as an example of an elevated interim coach who became a smashing success. It’s hard not to wonder now, though: In the current environment, would Swinney have gotten to coach his third full season after going 6-7 in 2010?
During Penn State’s final home game last Saturday, there were chants of support from fans inside Beaver Stadium during the victory over Nebraska, and afterward a few prominent players held up a sign endorsing Smith as the program’s next coach.
QBs Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemeyer holding a sign telling Penn State to hire Terry Smith. Pic.twitter.com/5Ael27UDC8
— Allie Berube (@allieberube) November 23, 2025
If Penn State soon finds a dazzling external candidate to replace Franklin (and his immediate successor), most fans will move on to embracing whomever that coach might be. Some will remember, though, and be disappointed Smith was not granted the opportunity. It would have been so much less complicated to let Franklin finish the job he started.