There is no 'has to' when it comes to contracts. It is highly desirable that he receives a 5+ year deal. What is more important is how the contract is structured. $5 or $6 million a year with a two-year guarantee and a buy-out weighted towards how much Terry pays if he wants to leave for another job. Assuming he does well in his first two years, an astute AD will proactively seek to extend and restructure the agreement.
Do you want PSU to hire Terry Smith as Head Coach?
- Thread starter Erial_Lion
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What coach worth anything is going to sign here or anywhere on a 2 year deal? That is just moronic. They want stability as mich as anybody. All that shows is the school isn't serious at all about hiring him as a coach.
I think if we get a win this Saturday it gains more momentum, but Rutgers will not be an easy out. You still are what your record says you are and these are a couple evenly matched teams this Saturday. This search has been full of twists and turns and if we can't get a win this Saturday...I think it's not going to happen.
Everything you’ve said about a bowl game could also be applied to this week’s Rutgres game. So if Terry expects them to play this week, wouldn’t he be not looking out for them?
Yes! When we line up against Rutgres this Saturday, we’ll have a chance to finish 12th in the Big Ten rather than 13th. Clearly that’s infinitely more meaningful than a bowl game!
Your description of what Terry Smith has done true. I believe Bib Chesney (JMU) faced similar circumstances with the departure of the HC (Cignetti) and pillaging of the best players taking them with him to Indiana. The deciding factor for me of Chesney over Smith is Chesney was able to have a winning season with a poached roster in his first season, providing stability. Now this season, their record is even better being in the race for the Group of 5 CFP slot. Chesney has for two years proven his ability to successfully adapt and win well. Additionally he, like Terry, has the high school recruiting contacts in the PSU primary recruiting regions up and down the eastern U.S. as well as Texas.
Both are risks for differing reasons but for me Chesney has a credible two year track record as the HC in a difficult transition.
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Oh the situation will be 10x better than 2012.
They had 40 scholarships total in 2012. They’ll bring in 15 scholarship guys from the portal alone next year, another 15-20 recruited in.
Penn State (Kraft specifically) is not going to hire Terry Smith. Not ever.
People thinking some sort of Terry Smith miracle is going to happen are just delusional.
This reminds me of all the delusional Matt Rhule talk. For months, we have had the media and some posters pushing hard for Matt Rhule based purely on emotion and his familiarity to Penn State. A complete waste of time.
Kraft is thinking long term and has bigger aspirations for Penn State. The program needs a radical makeover, not small incremental change from the status quo.
No...regular season games and bowl games are not comparable. It's just you refusing to accept that.
Correct ignoring your sarcasm
The guarantee is for two years. The contract can be for 5, 6 or 7 years. It is not too different than the contracts given to MLB, NFL or NBA players and in some cases their coaches / managers. The elite players (Aaron Judge, Shohei Otani and similar elite players) receive the mega guarantees. It's a matter of understanding leverage. Terry will be in demand, but most likely not as a head coach at a P4 school. I could see interest in him as a head coach at a G4 or FCS school. Salary ranges for those jobs are typically in the 500K to 2 million range. Top end for a first-time coordinator position at a P4 school is probably in the 1.5 to 2 million range, depending on prior credentials. A P4 position coach with an associate or assistant HC
augmentation is around 1 million. Terry might get a little more than this based on his recruiting prowess and connections, particularly western PA.
I agree with your argument. Maybe Chesney is the better choice, Maybe, it is Terry. I do not have all of the information to be certain of what is the best choice. That is Pat Kraft's job.
It's debatable if any perennial top 20 program needs a radical makeover
It's also debatable if Kraft knows what he is doing
Why is that? I mean Franklin got to double digit wins three years in a row because all Penn State has to do is put on their uniforms and beat the teams on their crappy schedule and next year’s schedule is worse, so 10 wins should be the floor for next year.
These aren’t “evenly matched teams”. We’re 12 point road favorites for a reason…we’re a much better team.
None.
If you go 5 years with a buyout of 2 years salary that goes to zero at year 3, people aren’t dumb. Agents, competing coaches, everyone knows it’s a 2 year deal.
Bigger question is why is Penn State settling for a coach they wouldn’t want to commit to in the biggest hire the school has made in 12 years?
Sounds like a vote for Pat Fitzgerald. But not for Al Golden.
Really the program only needed one more increment of improvement to reach the top. It just looks like that may not be for sale anywhere. Still there was no choice but to find somebody else after the UCLA and Northwestern games.
Because they have no choice and the list of realistic candidates was probably underwhelming and somewhat embarrassing given Penn States status as a Top 15 program.
Remember, Rutgers INVENTED college football!Don‘t trivialize it. Hostile environment and BIRTHPLACE.. Intimidating.
Of course they have a choice.
Next year is a rebuild regardless. It was always going to be. So say we go 5/2 (5 year deal no buyout after 2), what do you do next year if they go 8-4 (like Franklin very well could have even if they won it all this year) next year? What do you know about him? Let him coach a lame duck season? You can hire Smith. You can’t half hire him. Every single other realistic option is better to hire (including Smith) than half hiring Smith.
I’m quite sure Landon Tengwall doesn’t know who’s been crossed off the list. I guess if a coach that’s still in the hunt is going to PSU, he’s supposed to go public that he’s leaving before the season is over.
Agree. This is absolutely on Pat Kraft. Whomever is chosen some will be satisfied, others not so much. Either way, we need to support the new HC.
Without knowing the roster makeup it is difficult to project next seasons record. I think you're spot on with the ceiling given the uncertainty.
No, I said 10 wins is the floor, not the ceiling. I mean if we can win 10 or more with Franklin, then anybody we hire regardless of roster should be able to win 10.
I almost think they should. Most of the teams on next year's slate are bad enough that Chesney should be able to bring in all the JMU'ers he wants, put them in blue and white and rack up 10 cupcake Ws.
Awesome…a small way to strike back at Big10.
Need to beat Rutgers first…not a given.
Terry Smith should get the job.
In the beginning Perception wise it would look horrible. Hiring a losing high school head coach who couldn’t win even though he recruited players to Gateway.
Still the players love him and that is 98 percent of the job as head coach.
In the beginning Perception wise it would look horrible. Hiring a losing high school head coach who couldn’t win even though he recruited players to Gateway.
Still the players love him and that is 98 percent of the job as head coach.
Why is it Smith is only compared to what he has done vs two crappy teams. Not one person mentions just how bad we were against worse teams in our first three games. We in the last three games we have had more 20 yard plays and passes downfield than those three games combined.
That we could run against Nebraska is a testament to at least the threat of completing passes downfield….something severely lacking for the previous coach, a man unwilling to make the changes necessary to be successful, including playing Rappelyea. Including playing Alex Tatsch. Including giving fat the ball. Challenging OC’s and DC’s to do something different.
I agree. Kraft did not set out to hire Smith. But like Smith says, “what do your eyes tell you”
All of the remaining HC candidates have warts and are a roll of the dice. Chesny, if anyone is being really honest, is no more a national name than Smith by now. And dont forget the interview of Bobby Engram. Not sure how he is better than any of those. All of them, all of them are rolls of the dice.
Here’s the thing about fans and players that some prefer to discount: We know what good play looks like. We know what leaders look like. When Franklin was signed to the long contract that was on the surface to the bottom, a panic and knee jerk reaction, we all could see where this was going and nothing changed.
Here is what Terry Smith is not: James Franklin. He is a recruiter, a challenger of men and a leader of men.
Maybe the message really is this: don’t complicate something quite easy. Roll the dice here and move on. Smith
That we could run against Nebraska is a testament to at least the threat of completing passes downfield….something severely lacking for the previous coach, a man unwilling to make the changes necessary to be successful, including playing Rappelyea. Including playing Alex Tatsch. Including giving fat the ball. Challenging OC’s and DC’s to do something different.
I agree. Kraft did not set out to hire Smith. But like Smith says, “what do your eyes tell you”
All of the remaining HC candidates have warts and are a roll of the dice. Chesny, if anyone is being really honest, is no more a national name than Smith by now. And dont forget the interview of Bobby Engram. Not sure how he is better than any of those. All of them, all of them are rolls of the dice.
Here’s the thing about fans and players that some prefer to discount: We know what good play looks like. We know what leaders look like. When Franklin was signed to the long contract that was on the surface to the bottom, a panic and knee jerk reaction, we all could see where this was going and nothing changed.
Here is what Terry Smith is not: James Franklin. He is a recruiter, a challenger of men and a leader of men.
Maybe the message really is this: don’t complicate something quite easy. Roll the dice here and move on. Smith
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Engram is 4 years younger. Also, just found out looking that up that Terry Smith and I share a birthday. That’s enough for me. Give him the job!
Math is hard. Don’t know what I was thinking. lol. Hire them both.
Do people think that Pat should be publically talking about candidates, giving everyone updates, etc? I never would have expected to have a coach on November 23rd, and would expect a good AD to be playing things close to the vest. I really don’t understand everyone turning on him and/or assuming he has no plan.
Finally some business and negotiations acumen has spoken.
Finally some business and negotiations acumen has spoken.
If it would somehow be Deboer or Chesney, no.
If vs Drink, yes.
No idea who truly is greater than say 70% chance right now. So no idea who else to compare him to in saying yes or no.
If vs Drink, yes.
No idea who truly is greater than say 70% chance right now. So no idea who else to compare him to in saying yes or no.
I wonder if those that vote yes would have the same decision were PSU to lose to Rutgers this weekend.
That depends entirely on whether or not he wears the button again.
Here’s where I stand on the Terry Smith head coach situation:
1. I don’t believe there’s a true “grand slam” coaching option available who would immediately elevate Penn State into national championship contention. Outside of landing someone like Cignetti or Marcus Freeman, most of the current options feel like lateral moves who would deliver results similar to BGJ.
2. Penn State fans will show up regardless. The program could hire a golden retriever as head coach and still sell out tickets, merchandise, and suites. PSU’s fan base is massive, loyal, and—admittedly—in a good way, a little crazy.
3. High school recruiting doesn’t hold the same value it once did. With traditional recruiting, you’re rolling the dice; with the transfer portal, you’re getting proven players. The reality is simple: pay-to-play dominates the sport now. Success requires serious NIL resources and donor commitment.
4. For years, Penn State has tried to distance itself from the Paterno era—avoiding references to the legacy, steering away from its imagery, and presenting a “new” identity for the program. Many believed BGJ represented another fresh era, but maybe that idea deserves reconsideration.
Terry Smith has shown passion, heart, and a deep commitment to Penn State. He openly references the Paterno legacy, highlights the program’s traditions, wears a Joe Paterno pin, and even has his staff in tan khakis on the sideline. And let’s be honest—long-time PSU fans are eating it up. These are also the fans who have significant donor influence, not the 23- and 24-year-olds. Terry could potentially be a lower-cost head-coach option, allowing more resources to be poured into recruiting and NIL efforts. The real question is whether the “new” Penn State is willing to embrace someone who embodies the program’s traditional identity.
If you have the money, the players, and a little momentum, any of these coaching options—Terry included—could get the job done.
Just sharing some thoughts and curious to hear yours as well.
1. I don’t believe there’s a true “grand slam” coaching option available who would immediately elevate Penn State into national championship contention. Outside of landing someone like Cignetti or Marcus Freeman, most of the current options feel like lateral moves who would deliver results similar to BGJ.
2. Penn State fans will show up regardless. The program could hire a golden retriever as head coach and still sell out tickets, merchandise, and suites. PSU’s fan base is massive, loyal, and—admittedly—in a good way, a little crazy.
3. High school recruiting doesn’t hold the same value it once did. With traditional recruiting, you’re rolling the dice; with the transfer portal, you’re getting proven players. The reality is simple: pay-to-play dominates the sport now. Success requires serious NIL resources and donor commitment.
4. For years, Penn State has tried to distance itself from the Paterno era—avoiding references to the legacy, steering away from its imagery, and presenting a “new” identity for the program. Many believed BGJ represented another fresh era, but maybe that idea deserves reconsideration.
Terry Smith has shown passion, heart, and a deep commitment to Penn State. He openly references the Paterno legacy, highlights the program’s traditions, wears a Joe Paterno pin, and even has his staff in tan khakis on the sideline. And let’s be honest—long-time PSU fans are eating it up. These are also the fans who have significant donor influence, not the 23- and 24-year-olds. Terry could potentially be a lower-cost head-coach option, allowing more resources to be poured into recruiting and NIL efforts. The real question is whether the “new” Penn State is willing to embrace someone who embodies the program’s traditional identity.
If you have the money, the players, and a little momentum, any of these coaching options—Terry included—could get the job done.
Just sharing some thoughts and curious to hear yours as well.
That's about the 10th time that I've seen it mentioned now. Honest question...did anyone mention the tan khakis once in the hundred times that Franklin's staff was in them?