Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith has one more game to use to impress the athletic department.
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The 5-6 Nittany Lions can become bowl eligible with a win over 5-6 Rutgers on Saturday. PSU has won two straight before the regular season finale, beating Nebraska and Michigan State by a combined 45 points.
Outside of Smith, the Nittany Lions appear to have a relatively quiet coaching search. The program has been linked to former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll. PSU could take a chance on Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
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On Thursday, potential PSU option Eli Drinkwitz signed a six-year contract extension with Mizzou. On Friday, another potential coach for the Nittany Lions came off the board.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Vanderbilt signed head coach Clark Lea to a six-year contract extension.
“Sources: Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has agreed to a new six-year deal to stay with the Commodores, which includes a significant salary increase,” Thamel posted on X. “The deal includes numerous assets for the program to continue Vanderbilt football’s upward trend.
“Those include additional resources for both staff and facilities. Lea received interest from multiple suitors in this cycle. He’s led Vanderbilt to a 9-2 record and a 5-2 mark in the SEC, asserting Vanderbilt as part of the College Football Playoff conversation.”
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Lea, 44, is 25-35 overall and 10-29 in SEC play in his fifth season at Vandy. Lea had his first winning season with the Commodores in 2024 when the team finished 7-6.
Vandy is 9-2 and ranked No. 14 before getting set to travel to play No. 19 Tennessee on Saturday.
Penn State appears to be running out of options to land a head coach with a successful resume leading a Power 4 program. It’ll be interesting to see if the program looks for an elite coordinator at the college level or considers a former NFL coach.
Or Penn State could promote Smith, who the players seem to really like.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
