Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith watches warm ups before an NCAA college football game against Nebraska, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Yes, and the sooner, the better.

Since firing James Franklin on Oct. 12, Pat Kraft has had more than six weeks to interview and feel out the landscape of availability.

Most of the candidates with the biggest names or resumes — Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Curt Cignetti, Mike Elko — either flat out weren’t interested or signed contract extensions.

Others with lesser credentials such as Matt Rhule, Jeff Brohm, Eli Drinkwitz and Brent Key started suffering losses that dampened enthusiasm for them.

There’s been some buzz around Kalen DeBoer, but he might be in the College Football Playoff, and he lacks eastern ties.

The talk about Brian Hartline has calmed, and Jon Gruden or Pat Fitzgerald could have been hired by now.

James Madison’s Bob Chesney may well be an excellent coach, but he was at Holy Cross just two years ago, and this seems too big of a leap.

Perhaps Kraft overestimated his leverage and underestimated how his midseason firing gave other schools the chance to mobilize.

Either way, he should listen to public sentiment and hire Terry Smith.

These are fragile times in college football. The transfer portal, which opens for two weeks on Jan. 2, can evacuate a roster almost immediately and set a program back several years.

Couple that with the possibility that many on the current roster were recruited by Franklin and could be tempted to land at Virginia Tech.

Ditto members of the coaching staff.

Further, the early-signing period for recruiting starts Wednesday. A prompt familiar hiring could save some of the decommitments.

Most importantly, Smith has the support of the players, present and past.

That has been made clear since he took over for Franklin.

Granted, interim coaches who win a couple games and inject needed enthusiasm and (more) needed direction often ride a wave of emotion.

Michigan State and Nebraska are not true measuring sticks. Actually, the Lions’ performance on the road at Ohio State and Iowa and certainly against Indiana raised Smith’s stock as much as winning in East Lansing.

After beating the Cornhuskers 37-10, fans chanted “Ter-ry, Ter-ry” as loudly as they chanted “Fire Franklin” during the three-game losing streak that moved Kraft to make the midseason decision.

Retaining Smith would embrace the Lions’ past, something Franklin refused to do.

Smith has acknowledged the role that Joe Paterno played in his growth as a coach and a man — he wore a Paterno 409 button on Saturday night — in an effort to gain support.

Despite admitted missteps during the Sandusky scandal, Paterno largely built the passionate fan base that still exists and remains beloved.

Many former players did not feel a connection to Franklin and frankly did not feel overly welcome.

Smith could change that.

If Penn State makes a move that doesn’t work — and I’m not here to say Franklin’s tenure wasn’t successful because in many ways it was — the school runs the risk of losing its fan base.

And at a time when it’s trying to spend $700 million on a Beaver Stadium renovation, that’s risky.

In that regard, because of the way the current team and Nittany Nation have embraced Smith, he’s the safest choice.

No, he doesn’t have collegiate head coaching experience, and he may not be what Kraft had in mind when the search began.

But this is how the process has evolved, and Kraft has found himself in a tricky spot.

He wouldn’t have to throw as much money at Smith as he did Franklin, and he could craft a modest contract of three to four years that could give Penn State an out if reasonable goals aren’t met.

Based on what Terry Smith has done on and off the field in the face of real adversity, and how he’s represented himself and Penn State, he’s clearly Pat Kraft’s best option.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.