Legendary Penn State wide receiver OJ McDuffie hopes Terry Smith will retain his head coaching job at Happy Valley.
He may not have won a game since taking over as interim head coach, but Terry Smith has earned the praise of many in the Penn State community. Smith, a former Penn State wide receiver and longtime assistant coach under former head coach James Franklin, has made sure this year's Penn State team is focused and plays hard. This has not yet led to victory, but there was clearly a struggle in the team. performance this weekend against No. 2 Indiana.. And those efforts haven't gone unnoticed by the Penn State football family, as one of Smith's former teammates has come out in support of Smith becoming the team's next head coach. Nittany Lions.
OJ McDuffie, one of the best wide receivers in Penn State program history, showed support for his former teammate on social media on Saturday. McDuffie backed Smith to become the football program's permanent head coach based on his connections and message to the current staff in the face of adversity.
“Terry Smith is my choice to be the next head coach at Penn State,” McDuffie said in an interview. post to your Threads account on Saturday night, hours after Penn State's heartbreaking loss to second-ranked Indiana. “Save your comments. This dude has the team playing hard for him. I [couldn't] at this stage, worry less about the results!!”
McDuffie played for Penn State from 1988 to 1992, which coincided with Smith's time as a Penn State football player under Joe Paterno.
It's likely unlikely that Smith will ultimately be named the next head coach of the Penn State football program, although there should be enough support to at least keep him a part of the program if he wants to stay on staff for whoever takes the job. Penn State's athletics director made the decision to replace James Franklin midseason, a move likely made with the intention of bringing in someone fresh from outside the current roster.
Of course, Smith will still have a chance to make his case. Penn State must win its final three games – Vs. Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers – to qualify for the cup. If Smith can lead Penn State to that point after everything that's happened this season, it's at least something worth thinking about during the interview process.
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