Penn State football cornerbacks and associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as the 2026 Honorary Homecoming Grand Marshal, Penn State Homecoming announced Monday. Smith will join former Penn State kicker and now-Grand Marshals Kevin Kelly and his wife, Jess.

Smith is entering his 13th season on Penn State football’s coaching staff after suiting up for the Nittany Lions at wideout from 1988 to 1991. He served as the program’s interim head coach following James Franklin’s firing in the second half of the team’s disastrous 2025 campaign, salvaging a Pinstripe Bowl appearance and win over Clemson at Yankee Stadium.

Smith was a rare retention on Matt Campbell’s overhauled coaching staff after Franklin took much of Penn State’s staff with him to Virginia Tech. Campbell clearly stated that he wanted to keep Smith by any means, which ultimately led to Smith’s four-year extension that made him college football’s highest-paid non-coordinator assistant coach.

Smith slipped back into the same role he held under Franklin and reflected further on what went wrong for the Nittany Lions in 2025, including a segment on 93.7 The Fan following Drew Allar’s draft selection.

Smith will succeed 2025 Honorary Grand Marshal Gary Abdullah and will be at Homecoming events leading up to the program’s Homecoming game against Wisconsin on September 26.