By Andrew McCartyShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberPenn State opened the 2025 college football season on the short list for national title contenders. After winning their first three games of the season, the Nittany Lions jumped up to No. 3 in the nation before a showdown against the Oregon Ducks.
However, a loss to Oregon started a run of six-straight losses - in the middle of which the team decided to fire head coach James Franklin. Interim head coach Terry Smith took over, but suffered losses in his first three games before righting the ship with victories over Michigan State and Nebraska over the past two weeks.
The Nittany Lions are reportedly considering a number of potential candidates to replace Franklin - and Smith - heading into the 2026 season.
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James Madison's Bob Chesney is often linked to Penn State while Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz and Georgia Tech's Brent Key have also been tossed into the mix. Former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll also popped up in rumors, but the Nittany Lions players have someone else in mind.
After a 37-10 victory over Nebraska, players stumped for Smith to retain the job. "Hire this man immediately," one player shouted as they held "hire Terry Smith" signs.
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Smith delivered a stern message to the Penn State decision makers after the game.
“The emotion is I love my guys. I love my locker room, and you see how hard my guys play," Smith said. "These guys play inspired football. They’re motivated. And we finished once again tonight... These guys listen to me. They trust me. And they’re going out there playing great football. It’s my locker room.”
Smith can send an even stronger message if Penn State closes out the season with a win over Rutgers to make it three straight.
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