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Terry Smith says it's been a "great journey" after serving as Penn State's interim coach

By Rich Walsh

/ CBS Pittsburgh

When Terry Smith took over as the interim head coach at Penn State last fall, it was a bit of a roller coaster ride for the Monroeville native who said that it's been a "great journey" for him. 

An abysmal start to the 2025 season last fall led to Penn State firing then head coach James Franklin and promoting Smith on an interim basis. 

"To take over at Penn State at that moment, it was a difficult situation, but I embraced it " Smith said. "The first couple weeks, it took me, I guess it was like riding a bike. It took me a couple of weeks or a couple spins of the bike to get settled back into being in charge of everything."

Terry Smith hadn't been in charge of a football program in over a decade, dating to back when he was the head coach at Gateway High School.

But much like he did at his high school alma mater, Smith turned around Penn State's fortunes and by the end of the season, both fans and players were publicly advocating for him to be the next head coach in University Park. 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 15 Penn State at Michigan State
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 15: Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith is hoisted up on the shoulders of a pair of his players following a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Penn State Nittany Lions on November 15, 2025 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

"You know, they were chanting my name in the stadium and it was like something out of a movie," Smith said. "I'm almost speechless in it. It's so humbling to know so many people love you and care for you and genuinely want good things to happen for you." 

Smith said he just wanted to make Penn State proud and the university community "showed a lot of love back."

When Penn State hired Matt Campbell as the team's new head coach, Smith showed love back to the Nittany Lions by choosing to stay with the program.

Smith also stayed at Penn State for family reasons. His daughter Haley has Down syndrome, but is thriving while splitting time between Pittsburgh and State College. 

"Just last week, as a family we spoke at the ," Smith said. "Haley spoke, my wife spoke, and I spoke. It was for Down syndrome on 321 Day, which is Down syndrome day."

"It's just the experiences that we're getting here," Smith added. "This is the right place and the right fit for me and my family."

While he won't be a head coach this fall, Smith said he learned an important lesson from last year's life adventure.

"I learned that I could do it at this level," Smith said. "I'm really proud of that and it's just been a great journey for myself."

Smith was quick to point out that he's happy to be working with Matt Campbell, who has brought a breath of fresh air to the program and has Penn State feeling good about its chances going into the 2026 season. 

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