Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith, right, greets Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith, left, at the end of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

If you haven’t already done so, go check out the video of Terry Smith being emotional in Monday’s press conference when asked about the support from the Penn State community.

Judging by going through social media earlier this week, my guess is you probably saw it.

That is as real and genuine as it gets in sports. It was such good stuff.

“I’m just so blessed,” Smith said while wiping away tears. “God has been so good to me through everything in my life. To have the opportunity to be the head coach at Penn State … I don’t think anything has made me and my family happier than this opportunity.”

Don’t tell that guy that these games don’t matter.

It’s becoming more clear by the day that Smith needs to be a part of the coaching staff moving forward, regardless of who the next head coach is.

Smith has gained enough respect in the past month that any coach probably won’t mind giving him a job, whether he goes back to his spot as the defensive backs coach, or gets a promotion as the defensive coordinator.

Even if he would have a role behind the scenes such as a general manager, that would be a plus.

The bottom line is he has the Nittany Lions playing hard at a time when it seemed impossible to motivate them.

When he took over after James Franklin’s dismissal, PSU just had embarrassing losses to UCLA and Northwestern.

The situation that he was handed is not an easy one. It’s close to impossible. And the 1-3 record that he has doesn’t tell the whole story.

The Lions came close against a quality team like Iowa. They very nearly beat No. 2 Indiana. Ohio State took care of them rather easily, as is expected when you’re playing the No. 1 team on the road.

But even after the close home loss to Indiana, Penn State went on the road and won convincingly last week at Michigan State.

Oh, and PSU ran the ball more effectively than it has all season.

Let’s say that the Lions do finish the season 2-0. Would the chances of Smith being the permanent man for the job increase?

I’m not in the business of making predictions, but the probability likely would be higher than zero.

Smith already had a ton of respect in the Lasch building. It’s becoming more widespread now.

Make it priority No. 1 for the new guy, if it isn’t Smith, to retain Terry.

He will help immensely with the recruiting aspect, but there’s a bigger factor in play.

He’s earned it.

Andy Stine can be reached at astine@altoonamirror.com