Micah Parsons backs Terry Smith for Penn State coaching job

As Penn State's coaching search continues, one of the Nittany Lions' best former players made his voice heard. Packers star edge defender Micah Parsons said Penn State should elevate Terry Smith, who served as the team's interim coach after the program fired James Franklin.

Parsons, 26, said his relationship with Smith goes back to when he was 14 years old. Parsons starred at Penn State from 2018-19, recording five sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2019. He opted out of the 2020 COVID-impacted season before going 12th overall to the Cowboys in 2021 NFL Draft.

Smith played wide receiver at Penn State from 1987-91 and has been on Penn State coaching staff since 2014, working his way up from cornerbacks coach to associate head coach to, after six games this season, interim head coach. The Nittany Lions went 3-3 under Smith, winning each of their final three games to finish the regular season 6-6. The team awaits its bowl fate, though Smith has not been informed of his future.

The on-field product took a back seat to a coaching search gone awry. Louisville's Jeff Brohm and BYU's Kalani Sitake are the latest coaches who signed extensions after being linked to the Nittany Lions' opening. Sitake, in particular, seemed close to heading to Happy Valley before a full-scale effort from the Cougars and their donors kept him at his alma mater.

Overall, eight coaches who had been potentially tied to Penn State's opening received new contracts from their current team.