Update, 8:58 p.m.:

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday night that Terry Smith agreed to a four-year deal with Penn State to work with new head coach Matt Campbell. Smith had received interest from multiple head coaching jobs, including Memphis.

Former Penn State interim coach Terry Smith has agreed to a four-year deal to stay on staff at the school and work with Matt Campbell, per ESPN sources. He’s a Penn State graduate who has been a staff linchpin there the last 12 years. @audsnyder4 first reported Smith was staying. pic.twitter.com/seIi0sMwCN

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2025

Smith will return to his role as associate head coach for Penn State, with future responsibilities yet to be disclosed, Daniel Gallen reported for 247Sports.

Original Post

Penn State football’s interim head coach, Terry Smith, is expected to stay with Penn State for the 2026 season despite not landing the head coaching job, Audrey Snyder reported. He was the cornerbacks coach before this season, but his role in 2026 is still unknown.

Interim head coach Terry Smith is expected to stay at Penn State, a source confirmed to Inside The Lions.

Complete coverage of the hiring of Matt Campbell: https://t.co/pwudHgmQwe

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) December 6, 2025

Smith had a short stint as interim head coach for the Nittany Lions in the wake of James Franklin’s firing. The former Penn State receiver went 3-3 with wins over Nebraska, Michigan State, and Rutgers. Many wanted to see him hired as the Nittany Lions’ 17th head coach, but ended up hiring Matt Campbell instead.

Smith was originally hired by James Franklin as a defensive backs coach and defensive recruiting coordinator in 2014. After a successful three seasons in the role, he was promoted to assistant head coach in 2016, maintaining the other titles as well. In 2020, Smith was given another step up the ladder as associate head coach. He held that position until taking over as interim head coach in October 2025.

Smith has become known as one of the best recruiters in the country over the years. He was ranked the No. 4-ranked recruiter in the Big Ten in 2023 by 247Sports. With Smith’s help, Penn State has secured 12-straight top-25 classes, including a top-5 class in 2018.

Smith also has a history of developing players. With the Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, native as the cornerbacks coach, the Nittany Lions have had seven cornerbacks drafted since 2015, tied for the most in the country.

The Campbell announcement comes just weeks after fans, alumni, and players allocated for Terry Smith after defeating Nebraska 37-10. Offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh went right up to the NBC cameras after the game and told Nittany Nation to hire Smith immediately.

The fight for Smith continued throughout the season as players and alumni pushed for his hiring. When Penn State took on Rutgers, a plane flew around SHI Stadium with a flag displaying “Pat Kraft — Hire Terry Smith.”

In a now-deleted tweet, Penn State football linebacker Tony Rojas hinted that the full-time hiring of Smith would keep 90% of the roster happy. It was well-reported throughout the coaching search, though, that Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft wanted to bring in a big name.