Terry Smith is officially the most expensive "assistant" in the history of college football. Honestly, if you told a Penn State fan three years ago that the cornerbacks coach would be making coordinator-level money—or more—while staying on under a new head coach, they might have laughed you out of the Creamery. But here we are in 2026.
The dust has finally settled on the transition from James Franklin to Matt Campbell. In the middle of that storm, Terry Smith Penn State became much more than just a name on a coaching roster. He became the bridge. The guy who kept the whole thing from sliding off the mountain when the program was staring at a 3-6 record and a fractured locker room.
The Interim Run That Changed Everything
Let's talk about that 2025 season for a second because it was wild. Franklin was out in mid-October. The team was reeling. Drew Allar was done for the year. Most interim coaches in that spot just try to keep the kids from transferring before December.
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Terry Smith did something different. He went 4-3, sure, but it was how they played. They looked gritty. They looked like "old" Penn State. By the time they beat Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl with a freshman quarterback and a patchwork offensive line, the conversation shifted from "Who is the next coach?" to "How do we make sure Terry Smith doesn't leave?"
He stayed. He didn't take the head coaching jobs at UConn or Memphis that were reportedly on the table. Instead, he signed a four-year deal to remain the Associate Head Coach and Cornerbacks Coach.
Developing the "No-Fly Zone" in Happy Valley
People often forget that before Smith arrived in 2014, Penn State wasn't exactly known as a cornerback factory. We were Linebacker U. The secondary was often just "fine." Smith changed the DNA of that room.
Look at the hit list. Joey Porter Jr. going 32nd overall to the Steelers was the peak, but it’s the sheer volume that’s staggering.
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- Kalen King (Green Bay Packers)
- Daequan Hardy (Buffalo Bills)
- Tariq Castro-Fields (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Zech McPhearson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Amani Oruwariye (Tennessee Titans)
He has coached seven NFL draft picks at cornerback since 2015. That is tied for first nationally. When you're a recruit and you see those numbers, you don't really care who the head coach is as much as you care about the guy actually teaching you how to press-man a 4.3 receiver.
The Recruiting Ace
You can't talk about Terry Smith Penn State without mentioning the WPIAL. Smith is a legend in Western PA. He went 101-30 as the head coach at Gateway High School. He knows every coach from Aliquippa to Monroeville.
When the coaching change happened, the 2026 class was at risk. He personally kept guys like Peyton Falzone and Jackson Ford in the fold. It's why Pat Kraft, the Athletic Director, basically handed him a blank check. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 4 recruiter in the Big Ten in 2023, and his value has only gone up since then.
Why the High Salary?
The reports say he's making roughly $5.5 million in supplemental compensation this year. That’s absurd for a position coach, right? Maybe not.
If Smith leaves, you lose the Western PA pipeline. You lose the stability of a guy who has been there for 12 seasons. You lose the "letterman" connection that keeps the old guard of boosters happy. Matt Campbell was smart enough to realize that. During his intro presser, Campbell basically said retaining Smith was his first priority because they’ve known each other since Smith was coaching at Gateway.
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What Most People Get Wrong
There’s this narrative that Smith was "passed over" for the head coaching job. I don't see it that way. Being a head coach is 90% politics, fundraising, and sitting in meetings with the Board of Trustees. Terry Smith is a ball coach.
He loves the cornerbacks room. He loves being on the grass. By staying as the Associate Head Coach, he gets the massive paycheck, the security, and the ability to actually coach football without the headache of being the CEO.
The Bottom Line
Terry Smith is the soul of Penn State football right now. He’s the link between the Paterno era (where he was a star wideout with 15 career TDs), the Franklin era, and now the Campbell era.
If you're watching the Nittany Lions in 2026, keep an eye on the sidelines. You'll see him with the DBs, probably wearing that same focused expression he had back in 1991 when he was torching USC for 165 yards.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the 2026 secondary depth: With Smith staying, expect the transfer portal additions in the defensive backfield to be high-impact; he's already landed Jalen Kimber and A.J. Harris in recent cycles.
- Monitor WPIAL commitments: Watch for "Blue Chip" recruits from the Pittsburgh area; if they start trending toward State College, it's the Smith effect in action.
- Appreciate the stability: Programs usually crater during coaching changes. The fact that Penn State didn't is largely due to the $5.5 million man in the cornerbacks room.