Penn State AD Pat Kraft and Interim HC Terry Smith press conference

The Penn State football team introduced the next chapter on Monday afternoon. Less than 24 hours after firing former head coach James Franklin, Athletic Director Pat Kraft spoke to the media about the decision. Afterward, he introduced interim head coach and defensive backs coach Terry Smith, who will step in for Franklin after the decision. You can hear both press conferences on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel or embedded below.

Kraft spoke about the team’s decision to move on from Franklin after a 3-3 start and an 0-3 start in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions started the season with high expectations, entering the year as the second-ranked team nationally, but are currently unranked after the last two losses to UCLA and Northwestern.  

Penn State AD Pat Kraft speaks

“James Franklin is a tremendous man, husband, father, mentor to countless new athletes and a good friend who has always carried himself with dignity and represented of Penn State with absolute class beyond the winds and the accolades. James has been a trusted ambassador for this university and a friend of the Penn State community. We are all incredibly fortunate to have had James Franklin lead our football program for over a decade, and we will be forever grateful to him and his family. We wish them nothing, and I mean this. I wish them nothing but success in the next chapter of their lives.”

“That said, at Penn State, we hold all our programs to the highest standards in our shared pursuit of excellence. My job is to evaluate everything and make hard decisions for what is in the best interest of our athletes, our program, and our department. Football is our backbone. We have invested at the highest level. With that, comes high expectations. Ultimately, I believe a new leader can help us win a national championship, and now is the right time for this change.”

Terry Smith discusses plan moving forward

For the first time in 12 years, someone other than Franklin sat at the podium to begin a week of Penn State football. Smith, one of the longest-tenured coaches on the staff and the assistant head coach, took over for Franklin as of Sunday.

He spoke about the move on Monday.

“Yeah, the temperament is, you know, there’s guys that are shocked that it happened. You know, we didn’t anticipate this, the staff, we didn’t anticipate this, but it has happened, and so you know, every person that’s in the last football building, James Franklin, brought them there, from the coaches to the staff to all the personnel in the building. He brought every one of us there. So there’s an attachment to him. There’s a sense of loyalty to him. Now it’s my job to press us forward,” Smith said.

More from Blue White Illustrated this week

We’ll have full coverage of the coaching search and the rest of the football season here at Blue White Illustrated. Check out Sean Fitz’s first hot board of coaching candidates on the site. You can also see our weekly coverage on the BWI Live Show, starting Tuesday at 10 a.m.