The dominoes are continuing to fall in the aftermath of James Franklin’s firing as head coach at Penn State, with heavy turnover expected into this offseason.
Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith has stepped into the interim role for now, but even his standing with the team is uncertain after the season. The Nittany Lions’ next head coach may bring in his own coordinators and assistants, so no one on the coaching staff is guaranteed a position next season.
“No one’s given me confirmation and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be here,’ Smith said. “So again, we live in the moment. So head coach right now, and so I’m making these decisions. You know, I love Penn State. I would examine any position to stay at Penn State. But my concern right now is, how do we beat Michigan State?”
Penn State’s recruiting classes have also been hit, with the 2026 contingent continuing to leak players. The Nittany Lions have officially lost 11 members from the class, while others have reopened their recruitment process and/or taken visits elsewhere.
The 2027 group, which recently ranked No. 2 in the country, has been completely decimated, with all four members backing off their pledges.
“Those guys are going to be directly impacted by the final decision of who the head coach will be,” Smith said. “Our message is, remember all the reasons you chose Penn State. This is still a great university. Offers a first-class education. You know it’s going to be first-class football. We play in the Big Ten at the highest level.”
As far as the current roster, Smith said he’s begun having conversations with players about their futures and the consensus has been “wait and see.”
“We don’t know. It depends on who this new head coach is, and then decisions are going to be made from there,” Smith said. “Because, you know, whoever that coach is, their style of play, right? What type of defense is he going to bring in? What type of offense is he going to bring in? Does it fit these kids? So we’re all in that wait and see. So we’ll see how it turns out.”
Smith notably called quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who started the last three games, a “quarterback of the future,” implying a desire to keep him in State College for the next regime.
Despite posting an 0-3 record, Grunkemeyer has improved substantially every week and nearly guided Penn State to a win over No. 2 Indiana last Saturday in Beaver Stadium. When asked about his plans, Grunkemeyer didn’t make definitive statements.
“I think that, if the opportunity was right, absolutely,” Grunkemeyer said. “I love Penn State, you know, I love everything it stands for. Just staying 1-0 and that mindset, but like I said, love Penn State and if the opportunity was right, definitely.”
Last Wednesday, Smith called sophomore offensive lineman Cooper Cousins a future team captain, citing his character and work ethic and indicating a future in blue and white. Though he’s not in a starting role, Cousins was ranked the No. 1 interior offensive lineman recruit in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports composite rankings, and is considered one of the top young players on the roster.
This Wednesday, Cousins said he’s keeping his focus on playing Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, as are his teammates.
“Obviously it’s a real question everybody thinks about, but me personally, I’m just where my own two feet are right now, and I’m just worried about the next opponent that’s in front of us,” Cousins said. “You know, it’s definitely hard to think about what happened, but the whole team’s focus right now is on Michigan State and the next task at hand.”
