When Penn State decided to fire James Franklin, Terry Smith found himself at the center of a situation that he never expected, but it was something he was very happy about.
Smith, a longtime member inside the building, was put into unfamiliar territory when he was named the interim head coach. The move came during a moment that one expected, but he did as well as anyone could’ve imagined in his role.
“When I started walking down the hallway, he came out and around the corner, and I just saw something different in him, and right then my stomach just started turning,” Smith said, per WTAE. “They explained what was happening, and they explained what was about to be announced, and they wanted me to be the interim head coach.”
While tough, Smith wasn’t scared or worried about not succeeding, but admitted that he was nervous. Instead, he leaned into the same mindset he’s preached to players for years and that’s about being ready.
"Yeah! I felt the pressure. They say pressure is for the person unprepared. Well, I wasn't prepared for that because I didn't see it coming."
“Like we teach our players, learn from it. If you watch me from the first week at Iowa to the last week at the Pinstripe Bowl, I've gotten a ton better,” he said.
Players responded to his coaching, and the team rallied behind a coach who understood Penn State better than anyone, with many even wanting him to be its next head coach.
Smith wasn’t trying to be someone else, as he was honest with his players that he wanted to turn this thing around at a high level.
While his time as interim head coach was somewhat short, it was a lot of fun.
"Emotions were running a to z, some nervousness," he said. "I don't think for the next two days that I slept after that."
He’ll remain on Matt Campbell’s staff as one of the highest-paid non-head coaches in the country, and sounds very excited to do so.
"He is a dynamic coach that is going to take us to the next generation of Penn State greatness," Smith said.