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Penn State Football: Who are the Program’s Best Recruiters?

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football
Apr 13, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions assistant head coach and defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith walks onto the field prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

2. CB coach Terry Smith

James Franklin’s longest tenured assistant coach sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to recruiting, but he’s quietly involved with plenty of recruitments.

Smith is main Pennsylvania recruiter for Penn State, doing most of his work in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He also does some work in Ohio and New Jersey, along with being involved in most cornerback recruitments.

Because he’s been around since 2014, it would take forever to go through every recruitment he took part in, but here’s some notable and recent ones:

  • 2016 5-star RB Miles Sanders
  • 2017 4-star CB Lamont Wade
  • 2022 4-star WR Kaden Saunders
  • 2022 4-star OL Drew Shelton
  • 2021 4-star CB Kalen King
  • 2021 4-star S Jaylen Reed
  • 2022 4-star CB Cam Miller
  • 2019 4-star CB Joey Porter Jr.
  • 2017 4-star CB Tariq Castro-Fields
  • 2020 JUCO 4-star Jaquan Brisker
  • 2023 3-star CB Lamont Payne
  • 2014 3-star CB Grant Haley
  • 2014 3-star CB Amani Oruwariye

If you want to see Smith’s full list, it’s on his 247 Sports profile.

Smith has helped the Nittany Lions land some guys that turned into key contributors on the 2016-19 teams. He’s also been involved in landing big-time members of the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, two of the better classes Penn State has formed under Franklin.

Smith is a former high school football head coach and that may be a reason why he’s so successful as a recruiter. He knows how to talk to coaches and what recruits like and dislike from a recruiter.

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