Terry M. Smith is the oldest assistant coach on James Franklin’s coaching staff— not only in age, but years on Franklin’s staff with the Nittany Lions.
For that and much more — inside the Lasch Building, on the practice field and in the annals of Penn State football history — Smith is known as the OG of PSU FB. And we don’t mean offensive guard, either.
Slang Alert: OG is the acronym of original gangster, and Dictionary.com says it means “someone who’s incredibly exceptional, authentic or old-school.”
Smith is all three — and more. A co-captain of the 11-2, third-ranked 1991 Nittany Lions, Smith these days wears a variety of coaching hats for Penn State: associate head coach, defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach of what might be the best CB room in the Big Ten, if not the country.
How Mr. Smith returned to Happy Valley:
When Franklin arrived at Penn State in January 2014, he quickly assembled a staff that featured coaches who were, for the most part, on his staff at Vanderbilt. Except for Smith. He was the sole Penn Stater in the coaches room for several years. Now, there are two more — Ty Howle and Deion Barnes — but none of the assistant coaches has more ties to Franklin… or Penn State… than does Smith, who graduated in 1991 with a business management degree.
“Terry’s been highly productive and has great perspective, not only for the game of football, but specifically Penn State — from a historical perspective, as well as what we’ve done in the last 10 years,” Franklin said when I asked him on Tuesday about Smith’s role.
“There’s a ton of value in that. Whether it’s the seniors that have been with them since their freshman year, whether it’s recruiting in Western PA and specifically Pittsburgh, Terry has been phenomenal. He really has. He’s been invaluable for us on the staff.”
Smith, at age 54, is the elder statesman on Franklin’s 10-man assistant coaching staff, which has an average age of just 43. Franklin himself is 51, while defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is next-oldest at 49. Mike Yurcich and Stacy Collins are 47, while Anthony Poindexter is 46, and Ju’Juan Seider turns 46 on Sunday. (Sunday is also the birthday of O-line coach Phil Trautwein, who turns 37.)
THE TRUTH TELLER
It is a youngish staff, and Smith is literally the greybeard. It is a role he embraces. The OG is also The Truth Teller.
“You know, I have strong beliefs,” Smith shared when I asked him about his role as associate head coach. “Our relationship — James and I — is outstanding. If I believe in something, I just speak my opinion and it’s just my opinion. And the thing that I bring to Coach (Franklin) and into this organization is a diversity of thought. Sometimes we have to think outside the box and it just helps us get to the right conclusion sometimes.”
Franklin is entering his 13th season as a major college football head coach and 10th at Penn State (and all at PSU with Smith). And, by my count, he’s cycled through 30 assistant coaches at Penn State. There’s been one constant: Mr. Smith. So has his voice. It has turned into one that the CJF pays close attention to.
For good reason. And excellent results.
“I think Terry’s got great perspective,” Franklin said the other night. “He’s also not a yes man. You know, you ask him a question, you’re going to get an (honest) answer. And for me, I value that. I think a lot of times people in leadership positions say they want that, but then when they get in the leadership position they don’t necessarily like that.
“Terry’s going to tell you his opinion — which for me, in this role, ultimately I have to make the decisions at the end of the day. But I can’t make a great decision unless I’ve heard from the players — players who have earned that voice. And then the same thing with the staff. So, he’s been awesome. He’s continued to be a consistent leader within our program and an ambassador outside of the program.”
For Smith, being honest is his hallmark. Speaking up the chain to his boss and down the chain to his players. It’s who he is — whether it’s with his cornerbacks inside Lasch or on the recruiting trail, where he has a stellar and crystal-clear reputation.
“I’m still old school. Relationships do matter,” said Smith, his OG showing. “I like to form relationships not only with the student-athlete, but with his family, his coaches, the champions in his life. Those things matter. And as long as you can build trust, you know, you can be a truth teller. Guys today still want to know the truth. They want to know where they stand and how they fit into certain things in the plan. I build my relationships with trust and it’s been successful so far.”
MENTORS AND LEADERS
Like Franklin, for Smith it is a people business. He lists Teryl Austin and Jim Caldwell, both of whom he met as a Penn State player, among his mentors. Austin is the D-coordinator for the Steelers, while Caldwell was head coach at Wake Forest and then in the NFL with Indianapolis and Detroit after leaving Penn State. And Smith still keeps in touch with Tom Bradley, the former Penn State D-coordinator and interim head coach who first spotted Smith as a sophomore at Gateway High School in Pittsburgh. They have known each other for 35 years.
Bradley said this week that he saw something special in Smith when he was just a sophomore, both on the football field as a diminutive quarterback and on the basketball court as a skilled ball-handler and leader. The leader part of the equation is what really caught the eye of Bradley, who knew the high school hallways and practice fields in Pittsburgh like the back of his hand.
“I remember first seeing Terry as a sophomore in high school, when I started recruiting him,” Bradley recalled. “As a high school quarterback, Terry was quick and mobile. He’d drop back, look one way and then spin around and run 80 yards in the opposition direction.
“I thought he had great potential then, and he grew into a real leader when he was a player. So, it’s not surprising to see his leadership role these days at Penn State. It’s been who he is for decades and decades.”
Smith was a stellar three-year starter at wide receiver for the Nittany Lions, still in the top 15 for TD receptions (15), career receiving yards (1,825) and career receptions (108). He’s made an impact in the decades since, leading Gateway to a 101-30 record and then coaching at Temple, before returning to PSU under Franklin. His stepson, Justin King, was a top recruit for the Nittany Lions in the 2000s and Bradley ran point on that too: “Justin was an amazing two-way player. I think I got hand cramps from the dozens of handwritten notes I sent him.”
These days, Smith says he is a better coach than ever. The current composition of his CB room bears that out. Kalen King is a bona fide All-American candidate, and Johnny Dixon is not too far behind. Veteran transfer Storm Duck, Daequan Hardy and Cam Miller are all top-notch as well.
“You grow, you mature and you understand big picture decision-making,” Smith shared. “I’ve changed my ways in how I coach my corners. I’m probably more understanding and more flexible in our teachings. When I came in, I taught all the corners to do certain techniques this way. Now it’s, ‘Kalen fits this technique, Johnny Dixon fits that technique, DaQuan Hardy fits this technique.’ It’s what’s best for each individual. So, I think I’ve matured in that sense. And I think it’s really, really paying dividends on the field with our guys and their performance.”
A ROOM WITH A VIEW
Smith said he has “200% confidence” in his current corners group, despite the departure of likely NFL first-round draft pick Joey Porter Jr.
“Joey’s a tremendous loss,” Smith said. “But our job is to replace him, move forward and get better. And I think we have opportunity to be better in the room.”
As much as his coaching acumen has evolved, Smith is pleased to report that his core beliefs have not.
“It’s been the same. I’m the same guy,” the 2023 Terry Smith said when comparing himself to the 2014 Terry Smith.
“Everyone in this organization knows me as the truth teller. My guys in my room they know there’s no secrets to our room. Every guy knows where they stand — whether you’re the best corner in a room or you’re the 10th best corner in the room.”
Ain’t that the truth.
