Success with honor. It was the mantra that defined Penn State football for generations under the legendary Joe Paterno. That belief is part of what made Penn State into a national powerhouse on the gridiron. A status they still hold today and widely respected for how they went about it. Success with honor has been something the university has gone away from over the last 15 years.

While James Franklin did get Penn State back to prominence it was never quite the same as it was under “Joe Pa”. Now I’m not talking about the success as just over a decade compared to over 40 years isn’t a fair comparison. What I’m talking about is the culture at Penn State. Sure Franklin had success but something never fully clicked. Penn State won but it didn’t feel like Penn State.

2025 was a disaster class of a season for the blue and white no question. With national title hopes evaporating into a middling 6-6 record. Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend Penn State winning their final three games vs subpar teams is why Terry Smith should be the head man. After all he still only went 3-3 as the interim. When Smith took over though something changed, Penn State went back to feeling like Penn State.

Smith wasn’t afraid to change up the philosophy of the team. It doesn’t matter how much NIL money you get. The best players are gonna play based on skill, hardwork and discipline. Playing for the team and school pride is something deeply important to Smith. Instead of playing for yourself and the money. The brightest change though was in coaching decisions. Smith coached to win games instead of trying not to lose like Franklin did. Just look at their most recent game vs Rutgers Saturday and compare it to any number of games under Franklin to see that.

The offense under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki never really meshed with Drew Allar, not through Allar’s fault to be clear. They tried to win through the air which isn’t Penn State football, even with a blue chipper like Allar. The Nittany Lions win games based on their running game complimenting a strong defense. Kaytron Allen became the engine of the offense in the second half and you could see the offense coming alive. Even against a cupcake non-conference slate Penn State as a team never looked as fluid and controlled as they did in their last four games against Big Ten competition. Once Smith got his sea legs under him as a head coach, Penn State started to look like Penn State again.

Now there are some concerns about Smith with him never being a head coach or coordinator. That isn’t the end all be all for a good head coach though. Just look at Dabo Swinney, a situation similar to Smith taking over as interim at Clemson in 2008 led them to a 4-3 record. Urban Meyer also had no coordinator experience before he got his first head coaching position. I’m not saying Smith will win national championships like Meyer and Swinney but just because he hasn’t been a coordinator shouldn’t disqualify him. Him learning the ropes of being a head coach also could be a red flag. However this interim run has shown that Smith has shown the ability to grow as a head coach and in such a difficult and short time frame making it more impressive.

Looking at this wild coaching carousel there really is the question of who could Penn State even get? Most of the top candidates like Eliah Drinkwitz signed extensions or a top group of five head coaches like Alex Golesh already took another head coaching job.

Smith has the recruiting chops to get the talent needed for Penn State to compete for that elusive third national championship. After all, he has been the defensive recruiting coordinator since 2016. He also played wide receiver at Penn State with the connections for staff to help out with offensive recruiting. Players leaving in the transfer portal won’t be a concern if Penn State gives Smith the job permanently. Each of the last two games players have not shied away from supporting their coach, banging on the drum for him to keep it.

Something else Smith brings is honoring Joe Paterno seen with the 409 Joe pin he wore for their game on senior day vs Nebraska. In his postgame presser Smith proudly acknowledged Paterno saying he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. The university has been hesitant about honoring Paterno since his 2011 exit. There are boosters who’ve withheld donations or shrunk them since then. In this new age of college athletics where every dollar counts, getting those boosters back on board would be a help to the athletic department.

This new era of college football is chaos to put it bluntly with a lot of me not we. That’s not Penn State, they’ve never been that. Smith bleeds blue and white through and through. He knows what it means to be a Penn Stater and how to have success in doing so. Why look for something that’s already right in front of you? With the best candidate being the guy you already have. Smith has earned the right to be the head coach and AD Pat Kraft shouldn’t waste anymore time and name him the next Penn State Head Football Coach. WE ARE.