Penn State coaching search: Greg McElroy debates Terry Smith or Clark Lea for job

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes Penn State’s coaching search has effectively narrowed to two names in interim coach Terry Smith and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. He laid out the case for both during this week’s Always College Football. 

The Nittany Lions are navigating one of the most consequential decisions in program history following James Franklin’s midseason dismissal. McElroy says the emotional pull inside the building may be just as powerful as the on-paper résumés when it comes to Smith.

He’s been on staff since 2014, and it’s leading to the interim leader drawing what McElroy described as “real momentum” from influential voices around the program. Alumni and former players are pushing hard, and current players have rallied around him, helping produce noticeably improved energy and execution over the past two weeks.

“He’s well respected, he’s beloved, and he understands the position better than anybody,” McElroy said, adding that Smith will receive a formal interview this week. “I think he could be the man to beat. It’s going to depend very much on emotion. I don’t think you should ever hire on emotion, but we always do.”

But if Pat Kraft resists that emotional surge, McElroy believes Lea is the next logical fit, and maybe the cleaner, long-term choice. Lea has engineered one of the most remarkable rebuilds in college football, leading Vanderbilt to a nine-win regular season and demolishing decades of hurdles that once defined the program.

“He’s done a ridiculously good job at Vanderbilt,” McElroy said. “… Given what Clark Lea inherited, we’ve seen him do more against AP competition than Penn State has at times in recent years.”

McElroy dismissed the idea that Lea’s Vanderbilt roots should work against him simply because Franklin once followed a similar path. Instead, he emphasized Lea’s identity as a culture-builder who preaches toughness, physicality and blue-collar edge.

Lea’s vision of a roster made up of “misfits” who take pride in fighting for the jersey, McElroy argued, aligns seamlessly with what Penn State wants to be: “A blue-collar group that wants to be physical and play great defense. …  I think that greatly aligns with the identity of Penn State.”

As the Nittany Lions evaluate their future, the decision appears to hinge on two contrasting but compelling paths. Whether they choose the emotional continuity and internal loyalty represented by Smith, or the proven program architect who has lifted Vanderbilt from irrelevance to the brink of the Playoff remains to be seen.

McElroy sees both as viable. Regardless, he believes the choice will reveal exactly what Kraft wants Penn State football to become in its next era. Only time will tell which road he walks down.