Almost 10 years ago, James Franklin was assembling his first football staff at Penn State.
He thought of a one-time high school coach from western Pennsylvania who he knew through recruiting and who then was working as the wide receivers coach for Matt Rhule at Temple.
“It was just relationships,” that former high school coach said Thursday. “He (Franklin) felt like he needed a Pennsylvania guy who was connected and tied to Penn State. I fit the bill. When he interviewed me, the staff felt the same way. Here we are 10 years later.”
Terry Smith is the only one of the assistants from Franklin’s original staff who remains with the Nittany Lions. He’s not only loyal, but also very effective.
As a recruiter, Smith knows Pittsburgh and the WPIAL as well as anyone because he spent 11 seasons as head coach at Gateway High School, his alma mater. He was rated the fourth-best recruiter in the Big Ten and 31st in the nation for the 2023 class by 247Sports.
As a position coach, he’s helped develop 10 defensive backs who became NFL draft picks in the last six years.
As Penn State’s associate head coach who isn’t afraid to tell Franklin the truth, he’s invaluable.
“We talk about coming to Penn State at a tough time (in the throes of NCAA sanctions),” Franklin said. “We were able to change the narrative of how people were talking about Penn State at that time. Terry has been a part of all of those things.”
Smith was a high school quarterback who was recruited as a wide receiver. He played for the Nittany Lions from 1988-91 and caught 108 passes for 1,825 yards and 15 touchdowns. He played professionally for five seasons before getting his first coaching job as an assistant coach at Hempfield High School in District 7.
As head coach, he guided Gateway to a 101-30 record and four runner-up finishes in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs from 2001-12.
Since he arrived at Penn State in 2014, Smith has sent nine cornerbacks to the NFL, including Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Joey Porter Jr., a second-round pick. He has at least four potential NFL players in his position room this season: Kalen King, Johnny Dixon, Daequan Hardy and Cam Miller.
Last week at Illinois, Dixon, Hardy and Miller came up with three of the Lions’ four interceptions in a 30-13 win. Like West Virginia and Delaware, the Illini hardly threw in King’s direction because of how talented he is.
“I have great relationships with the guys I coach,” Smith said, explaining his success. “They trust me and I trust them. When you’re first teaching them techniques and preparing them for opponents, they have to trust and believe you’re telling them all the right things.
“The relationships start during the recruiting process. Knowing you don’t tell a guy a lie from day one, it goes a long way when you’re trying to coach him to be a champion on the field. That’s important.”
For a long while, Penn State wasn’t producing high-caliber cornerbacks. That changed with Smith’s arrival. From 1993-2013, the Lions had seven corners make the All-Big Ten first, second or third team. Since 2018, they’ve had four with at least two (King and Dixon) and maybe three (Hardy) more expected this season.
“He coaches his guys hard, but he does it in a way where he never crosses the line,” Franklin said. “He has their respect. It’s amazing how much honesty there is in that room. It’s very blunt, direct honesty, not just from him but from player to player, which is probably more important than ever. It’s the culture he’s created in that room.”
Smith’s affection for Penn State might be his greatest motivator. His father, Harvey, played basketball for the Lions and graduated in 1968 with an accounting degree. His son, Justin King, was a two-time All-Big Ten cornerback (2006-07) at Penn State who played several seasons in the NFL.
“I love Penn State,” Smith said. “Penn State has always taken care of my family. That’s how my dad fed our family, through his degree. Penn State has taken care of us. Every job I’ve ever gotten has been tied or connected to someone involved or connected with Penn State.
“I just want to keep contributing and keep giving back. Hopefully Penn State will have me back till I decide to retire. I don’t really want to go anywhere else.”
Smith’s not going anywhere, if it’s up to Franklin.
“Terry’s a great coach,” he said. “He’s a great recruiter. He’s a great husband and father. He’s been a great sounding board for me. He’s been a constant on our staff.”
