A few days ago, James Franklin announced his new home at Virginia Tech. But his former team is still struggling. Interim HC, Terry Smith secured the first win of his tenure, yet he has yet to stabilize the program. Now, reports from Nitanny Lions suggest they are looking for a viable option in the form of a Big 5 coach, Bob Chesney.

According to journalist Liam Blutman, Chesney interviewed for the role. “As of this very moment, this isn’t true. Chesney met with Penn State over the weekend and crushed that interview. There’s reason to believe Sexton used UCLA for leverage to get his client more money. He’s my 1.1 and hope it’ll be him, but rn nothing is official.” Bluntman tweeted, replying to another tweet predicting Chesney’s move to UCLA.

The 48-year-old could well be the answer to all their issues, given his proven track record at Holy Cross and now at James Madison.

His candidacy looks even more lucrative as he doesn’t come with huge financial demands. Chesney makes around $2.75 million and is earning more than $833,000 this season, according to the USA Today coaching salary database for heading the JMU coaching unit, which is well under PSU’s purview. Additionally, he is a native of Pennsylvania, so coaching closer to home could also be a motivating factor. But the path for the Nittany Lions is not straightforward.

His $1.25 million reported buyout has made Bob Chesney an ideal candidate even for UCLA. “I’m hearing Bob Chesney at UCLA. He’s got to make a decision,” Bruins alum and CBS analyst Rick Neuheisel said during Saturday’s football action. “With Mike Elko reupping at Texas A&M, it seems like Penn State’s still got a spot and Chesney’s from the state of Pennsylvania, so maybe he’s waiting for something a little closer to home.”

The interest from both signifies the impact that the 48-year-old has had at Holy Cross and JMU. He transformed the Crusaders into a dominant force in the patriot league over the six years, winning five Conference League titles and earning the Patriot League Coach of the Year award three times. After his move to Virginia, replacing Curt Cignetti, he stabilized JMU and led them to a 9-4 record in his first season. Now, they are 9-1 and 21st in the AP polls; all this has contributed to his rising stock as a head coach. But does that mean the end of the road for the current interim coach?

Penn State alumnus surprised by rumors around Terry Smith’s future

On the other hand, Terry Smith won his first game for the Nittany Lions in their 28-10 triumph over Michigan State. The win has started a conversation about him moving away from the coaching role to a more prominent front office role. But a former player under James Franklin has come forward to dismiss it.

Langdon Tengwall, a former OL for PSU, said, “If Terry wants some type of admin role, absolutely! He deserves whatever he wants. But just not GM, nor do I think he would want the headache of what comes with being a GM in CFB in 2026. I’m not sure people realize, but one of the biggest issues for Franklin and this staff was not having a real GM on staff. The next GM has to be someone with prior experience in said role.”

Terry Smith has built his career as a coach and an excellent player developer. However, he lacks the administrative experience required of a GM of PSU. Instead, he is more suited for the HC role and could compete with Bob Chesney. Smith’s time as the defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions makes him an ideal candidate who knows the vulnerabilities left behind by his predecessor. So, will that one win mean PSU changes its decision? Only time will tell.