Do you want PSU to hire Terry Smith as Head Coach?
- Thread starter Erial_Lion
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Al Golden was a nightmare hire when we hired O'Brien. It would be even worse now. Look at Golden's record vs ranked opponents. Just dreadful.
It's tough to accurate judge Fitz at Northwestern. So many restrictions that he wouldn't have here. There's a reason he was offered the Bears job, the Notre Dame job and many others.
All that said...he was the guy we should have gone all in on when we hired O'Brien not now.
All of that is fair but it also lasts until he loses his first game then they bail.
There's no reason to believe he gets more than a courtesy interview.
So they may have passed on someone who would have won 509 games? Who TF would that have been?
Whomever they hire will lose. Next year has some pitfalls. But if you go outside and ignore the momentum behind Terry the new coach better be a rock star.
What momentum? We beat Michigan State and Nebraska. What is happening here?
The reality is--some people just "want a Penn State guy". He hasn't done anything. We got destroyed by Ohio State and mismanaged the end of the Indiana game badly. Let's not pretend Franklin was getting blown out. He just couldn't win close games this year.
When they hired Franklin it put pressure on the next hire--Smith is a non-factor in that.
James destroyed the psyche of the team and the offense and defense needed to be fixed. Allen only had 8 carries against UCLA which is a disgrace and we couldn't pass the ball all year under Franklin. Terry fixed all of that.
We should have beaten Indiana and OSU was 17-14 at the half.
I think Terry has done a wonderful job and yes, being a Penn State guy - that does and should matter. The fact that Terry talks about joe and shows him respect and has been such an unbelievable breadth of fresh air.
Joe was Brown…he seemed to garner some positivity.
Franklin lost favor because he could not win any meanigful games.
He has done a solid job but is still not who you hire in a situation of this magnitude.
What happened in the second half against Ohio State?
We would have beat Indiana if he didn't mismanage the end of the game
Momentum isn't beating bad teams
No, being a Penn State guy absolutely doesn't matter--that's the problem here. You care about about Joe than the future success of the program.
How many outside our fan base would claim Smith is a better coach than Patty Fitz?
A single person?
The biggest criticism I've seen about Smith was how will he recruit nationally. In 2025 cfb the only thing that matters for top recruits is money. Have the money, get the recruit. Even the biggest name hire won't be able to get top recruits without the cash. I don't like it but that's the way it is. If Terry is popular with the big donors that could be a huge positive.
What's wrong with having a coach that's liked and respected by team members and fans. It was nice to see a coach on the sidelines that wasn't just standing there with his arms crossed.
He seems to have all the intangibles needed for the PSU job. I don't think there is a huge risk in giving him a shot.
What's wrong with having a coach that's liked and respected by team members and fans. It was nice to see a coach on the sidelines that wasn't just standing there with his arms crossed.
He seems to have all the intangibles needed for the PSU job. I don't think there is a huge risk in giving him a shot.
The only thing about this is it would be kind of sad if he can't cut it. Then what do you do? Everybody likes the guy. It's back to this situation of having a guy people like so that makes them too afraid to think about getting rid of him if he can't win.
It's almost like if you hire someone you like, you're stuck with whatever the results are. Whereas if you just bring in some hired gun coach off the market somewhere, if he ends up sucking you're OK with cutting him loose.
I’m starting to think that Franklin actually “did things” (coaching decisions) to purposely get fired.
He was mentally “out the door” before the season even started and was daring Kraft to fire him.
I would rather watch paint dry than the offensive offense of Boot Camp Sargent Fitzgerald.
Curious too if they’ll still think Terry “knows what it means to be Penn State” if he’s on his way to Blacksburg in 2 weeks.
What elite offense does Smith run?
The inability to comprehend Pat's success in the Big Ten with Northwestern is hysterical since many of the people that can't think Golden and Rhule were impressive at Temple. Context.
That's why you have reasonable contracts so when the time comes you simply move on. Franklin's contract was insane.
I voted 'no'.
I like Terry Smith, always have. I think he's done a good job recruiting the WPIAL kids over the years. But he's not retaining the kids who were committed to the program pre CJF's firing. In fact, they're leaving in droves. Now, with the right hire a few may come back this way along with some friends from other schools. Does Terry bring that possibility? I wish he did, but I don't think so.
I have tons of respect for the players, former players, and so forth who have come out strong in favor of Terry Smith. I understand their desire to honor PSU's traditions, history, and a long time, loyal assistant coach. But tradition and Terry are not going to bring back the good old days. Kraft understands that recruiting is important, but the portal is now equally important if not more. CJF didn't want to bring in tons of kids from the outside and that's one of the key reasons we don't have much at LB or WR to speak of...and one of the main reasons he's gone. Kraft isn't looking to 'rebuild', he wants to win NOW.
Names like Fitzgerald, Chesney (JMU? Are you freaking serious!?!), etc. are silly to me. You don't stick your neck out a mile flushing that Franklin turd just to hire a second-rate guy. If you do, that means all of your 'Plan A' people either told you to pound sand or got the extension they were playing you for.
Kraft has ONE chance to get this right; he won't get another at PSU. He's well aware of that. He's also hearing from a lot of people who 'matter' like wealthy alumni donors, Board members, etc. If the next coach's name isn't immediately recognizable to just about anyone who knows anything about CFB it will be considered a costly failure for everyone.
Kiffin would not surprise me at all, but neither would a number of other big names. $14 million per year? Get ready. I think the name will be very interesting and the price tag will be staggering.
I like Terry Smith, always have. I think he's done a good job recruiting the WPIAL kids over the years. But he's not retaining the kids who were committed to the program pre CJF's firing. In fact, they're leaving in droves. Now, with the right hire a few may come back this way along with some friends from other schools. Does Terry bring that possibility? I wish he did, but I don't think so.
I have tons of respect for the players, former players, and so forth who have come out strong in favor of Terry Smith. I understand their desire to honor PSU's traditions, history, and a long time, loyal assistant coach. But tradition and Terry are not going to bring back the good old days. Kraft understands that recruiting is important, but the portal is now equally important if not more. CJF didn't want to bring in tons of kids from the outside and that's one of the key reasons we don't have much at LB or WR to speak of...and one of the main reasons he's gone. Kraft isn't looking to 'rebuild', he wants to win NOW.
Names like Fitzgerald, Chesney (JMU? Are you freaking serious!?!), etc. are silly to me. You don't stick your neck out a mile flushing that Franklin turd just to hire a second-rate guy. If you do, that means all of your 'Plan A' people either told you to pound sand or got the extension they were playing you for.
Kraft has ONE chance to get this right; he won't get another at PSU. He's well aware of that. He's also hearing from a lot of people who 'matter' like wealthy alumni donors, Board members, etc. If the next coach's name isn't immediately recognizable to just about anyone who knows anything about CFB it will be considered a costly failure for everyone.
Kiffin would not surprise me at all, but neither would a number of other big names. $14 million per year? Get ready. I think the name will be very interesting and the price tag will be staggering.
First time ever poster. Penn State & Allegheny College graduate - Counseling Psychology background.
As for Terry Smith, here is all I want to add. On paper, he should not be hired. There are much stronger resumes. And I understand the sentiment to remove all emotion from the decision. But there is a big difference between acting on emotion and acting on gut. What we witnessed last night felt different -- something I have never seen in any sport at any level ever -- something that gave me chills in a good way! The intangibles, things that can't be measured or checked in a box, but are still there, are screaming here.
Is the best candidate for a job always the one with the best resume or could the intangibles a certain candidate bring to the table be what a company, organization or team needs RIGHT NOW?
Fans only see the Saturday performance. Players see EVERYTHING behind the scenes. Last night, I saw Division One players with a losing record having fun playing football. I saw players with nothing to play for wanting to win in a big way. I saw players impacted by a leader in ways that transcend football. I saw paper signs clearly made in advance of the game ready to go WIN OR LOSE. That input from the players cannot be ignored. And recruits saw those intangibles too last night.
Over life, I have heard many married couples say they once looked everywhere to find the most perfect and beautiful soulmate only to end up finding that person had actually been under their noses and in their lives all along - just unnoticed until something unexpected happened - and then they were noticed and they are so happy they didn't ignore those vibes.
So no, Franklin certainly wasn't fired with Terry Smith in mind. And there may be many reasons not to hire Terry Smith. But if we don't hire him only because he wasn't the original plan, I feel we have allowed pride to get in the way of new information -- even if that new information can't be measured in a resume alone.
As for Terry Smith, here is all I want to add. On paper, he should not be hired. There are much stronger resumes. And I understand the sentiment to remove all emotion from the decision. But there is a big difference between acting on emotion and acting on gut. What we witnessed last night felt different -- something I have never seen in any sport at any level ever -- something that gave me chills in a good way! The intangibles, things that can't be measured or checked in a box, but are still there, are screaming here.
Is the best candidate for a job always the one with the best resume or could the intangibles a certain candidate bring to the table be what a company, organization or team needs RIGHT NOW?
Fans only see the Saturday performance. Players see EVERYTHING behind the scenes. Last night, I saw Division One players with a losing record having fun playing football. I saw players with nothing to play for wanting to win in a big way. I saw players impacted by a leader in ways that transcend football. I saw paper signs clearly made in advance of the game ready to go WIN OR LOSE. That input from the players cannot be ignored. And recruits saw those intangibles too last night.
Over life, I have heard many married couples say they once looked everywhere to find the most perfect and beautiful soulmate only to end up finding that person had actually been under their noses and in their lives all along - just unnoticed until something unexpected happened - and then they were noticed and they are so happy they didn't ignore those vibes.
So no, Franklin certainly wasn't fired with Terry Smith in mind. And there may be many reasons not to hire Terry Smith. But if we don't hire him only because he wasn't the original plan, I feel we have allowed pride to get in the way of new information -- even if that new information can't be measured in a resume alone.
You should have stopped with "On paper, he should not be hired"
We beat Nebraska without their legacy QB--nothing new or impressive happened.
He's doing one hell of a job selling the fans by acknowledging Paterno though--kudos to him.
You don't hire him because he's not qualified or ready for this level of a job--plus, his coaching tree is Rhule and Franklin--their results are what we don't want or CJF would still be here.
Read the latest in the New Coach thread. Apparently snake oil salesman Franklin's cronies had all those kids decomit from PSU before they were shown the door.
Im on the fence about Smith. I would be happy for him if he got it. Im just not sure he can elevate the program. My choices of names being floated
Deboer. Obvious home run hire. Chesney. I believe he has superstar potential.
Smith. Righted the sinking ship. Severe lack of experience.
Hartline. Likely superstar coach. But he is an OSU guy.
Deboer. Obvious home run hire. Chesney. I believe he has superstar potential.
Smith. Righted the sinking ship. Severe lack of experience.
Hartline. Likely superstar coach. But he is an OSU guy.
Terry fixed all that by beating Michigan state and Nebraska? Interesting.
He was mentally out the door coming into a season with a touted senior QB, two of the best running backs in the country, after hiring the national champ DC, off a season where we went to the semis, and ranked 2nd in the country? Yeah, that makes sense.
One thing I like about Smith is that his players will literally run through a wall for him and that's very rare in today's game. Now, with that said, when you look at the way the roster has been decimated, whoever comes in here is looking at a rebuild, not a reload. No matter who it is, they need 3 years now and don't expect much better than 6-6 next year either.
One could argue that right now isn't much different than when we hired Bill: The recruits are almost all gone. Their is a mass exodus of the seniors and probably many other players. A full rebuild is needed now.
I don't see a big difference other than the sanctions and the post season ban.
They are somewhat similar situations. The only problem now is that I don’t think that there will be any team leaders left like Mauti et. al. like when BOB took over. A big difference now is the portal and NIL which makes the situation more complex.
What are you talking about?
Seniors were leaving anyway. Others were leaving anyway. The class was falling apart prior to CJF being fired.
This isn't remotely similar. Everyone is way too worried about the 2026 class.
What is happening here?
You all act as though coaches don't get fired
You're comparing this to a scandal that was badly mishandled. People have gone insane.