Penn State AD Pat Kraft must be joking with Terry Smith quote on full-time job

Seriously, Pat?
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft gives head football coach James Franklin a big hug following a 33-24 win over Indiana at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in State College, Pa.
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft gives head football coach James Franklin a big hug following a 33-24 win over Indiana at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in State College, Pa. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The search is on for Penn State football now that James Franklin is no longer with the program. The shocking news arrived on Sunday and since then Matt Rhule, Curt Cignetti and others have been linked to the job. However, might Terry Smith be able to stay on board full time for 2026 and beyond?

That's something that is now on the table. While speaking to the media on Monday, athletic director Pat Kraft indeed said that Smith has a shot at being named the permanent head coach at Penn State and that the school is going to put him in a position to run the table for the rest of '25. While yes, fans would love to see Smith win out for the rest of the games on the schedule this fall, there's no way Kraft is serious here, right?

Alarming Matt Rhule stats should have Penn State fans worried of James Franklin 2.0

Pat Kraft has a lot of people talking with his latest Terry Smith comments

This could just be Kraft doing what he can to inspire Smith and remind the guys inside of the locker room that there's still a lot to play for this season and that things aren't over just yet. Smith is adored on campus and he 100 percent means a lot to the program.

However, Penn State needs to make a splash hire and even if the Nittany Lions win out the rest of the way, Smith won't be the long-term answer. Penn State needs to bring someone in who is going to inject some needed excitement around this team.

It's hard to believe that the Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff last season, made it to the Final Four and now Franklin is out the door. Penn State was 3-0 to start the campaign, but the loss to Oregon is where the wheels began to fall off.

Losing to UCLA was inexcusable and then the most-recent loss to Northwestern put the nail in the coffin for Franklin with Penn State. Kraft has the incredibly difficult task of trying to find a rockstar replacement for the guy who has led the program since 2014. Smith will run the show for the next few months, but then after that the keys will need to be handed to someone with head coach experience who can get the Nittany Lions back on top where they belong.

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