11/26/25 06:11:00
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11/26 18:09 CST Penn State in wait-and-see mode as potential staff overhaul,
player exodus looms
Penn State in wait-and-see mode as potential staff overhaul, player exodus looms
By TRAVIS JOHNSON
Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) --- Since he became Penn State's interim coach, Terry
Smith has put things bluntly.
Smith admits, after this weekend's regular-season finale at Rutgers he's not
sure what comes next for a program still seeking a permanent head coach.
"We're encouraging our guys to keep an open mind," Smith said. "We don't know
what's next, so the most important thing is that we go play hard Saturday, put
on film what you want anybody to know about you on Saturday. We'll cross that
bridge when it comes."
A win against the Scarlet Knights (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) on Saturday will make Penn
State (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) bowl eligible. It'll be a consolation prize of sorts
in a season that quickly devolved from a preseason No. 2 ranking to longtime
coach James Franklin's firing on Oct. 12 after Penn State lost its first three
Big Ten games, including back-to-back games in which the Nittany Lions were
favored by 20-plus points.
Before then, the Nittany Lions had their sights set on a return to the college
football playoffs. Now, dozens of them will have to decide if they'll even
return to Happy Valley where they once committed to play for Franklin.
Since Franklin was fired on Oct. 12, 19 recruits have decommitted from Penn
State's 2026 class. Franklin and Smith --- who's been one of the program's best
recruiters since 2014 --- brought in 28 scholarship freshman a year ago along
with eight transfer-portal additions, six of whom will be eligible next season.
Among those freshmen, cornerback Daryus Dixson and receiver Koby Howard are
waiting to see how the next few weeks play out. The NCAA transfer portal opens
on Jan. 2 and closes two weeks later.
Penn State does not usually allow true freshmen to speak to reporters.
"I haven't really been like too stressed on it because as everybody knows, we
are all still in season," Dixson said. "So I feel like if clutters of things
like that are coming into minds of people and of our team, I just feel like
everybody should focus on the main goal."
Howard, from Pensacola, Fla., did not play in Penn State's first three
conference losses, and said Franklin's firing proceeded a "tough" few weeks.
In that span, the Nittany Lions coughed up a fourth-quarter lead to Iowa on the
road, kept pace with No. 1 Ohio State for just a half, then lost on a late
touchdown catch to No. 2 Indiana.
"I wanted to come to a school that put people in the (NFL)," Howard said after
practice on Wednesday evening. "That played a big part. A head coach that was
going to be here for a while, but you know, things didn't pan out that way and
I just felt like I could come in and have a huge impact here at Penn State."
Over the last two games, both Penn State wins, the offense has picked up the
pace. Howard has five catches for 99 yards over the last five.
Howard said he committed to a coach, but also acknowledged the perks of a
program that Franklin helped build up over his 12 years. As he took questions
from reporters, he stood on a re-turfed indoor practice facility that's seen
multiple waves of improvements since 2014.
"I love Penn State," Howard said. "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't.
Things didn't go as planned for me. A lot of people think I should've played
earlier, but at the end of the day I just have to trust my coaches and that's
what happened. Now that I have my opportunity, I just have to capitalize on it."
Smith, a Penn State alum who played for Joe Paterno, said he has not determined
whether or not to stick with Franklin's policy of removing players from the
roster before the bowl game should they choose to transfer.
If he could provide certainty for his players to stop the potential looming
defections, he would. Athletic director Pat Kraft has said Smith is a candidate
for the job.
"No one knows Penn State better than me of all the candidates out there," Smith
said. "I know the history of Penn State. I know the culture, the DNA. I know
the locker room. I know administration. I think I'm a good leader. I think I'm
a leader of men. You know, that will take care of itself when the time comes."
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