Penn State is set to face Clemson on December 27 in Terry Smith’s last game as the interim head coach of the Lions. Ahead of the matchup, there was little information on whether the new head coach, Matt Campbell, would be with the team for the Pinstripe Bowl. Smith cleared the air on the matter.

Smith, ahead of the Bowl game at Yankee Stadium, revealed that Matt Campbell will be at the stadium. However, he is unsure whether he will be available on the sidelines with the team.

“He wants to stay hidden away and allow us to run the game,” Smith said at the pre-game press conference.

Terry Smith also revealed that Deion Barnes will be on the sidelines helping the Nittany Lions’ defensive line, despite accepting the South Carolina job on Tuesday.

“Deion is coaching, yes, and he’ll be a part of this team tomorrow,” Smith said Friday. “We’re just focused on this game, and he’s going to help us win this game.”

Barnes, in his six seasons with Penn State, three years as DL coach, has already made a name for himself. He helped develop some of Penn State’s best players, including Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac, and Dani Dennis-Sutton. In Barnes’ first year as coach, the Nittany Lions led the nation for most defensive ends drafted (7).

Penn State’s defense would love to have him on the sidelines for the final game of the 2025 season. Matt Campbell has yet to hire Barnes’ replacement, along with other coaching openings, including the defensive coordinator, linebackers, and running backs coach.

While Terry Smith‘s Penn State is approaching the Pinstripe Bowl with a vision to finish what they started for the 2025 season, a handful of Penn State players have opted out of the game.

Penn State players opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl

Terry Smith at the Friday press meet named a long list of Penn State players who have opted out of the Bowl game. As of Friday noon, OG Vega Ioane, Safety Zake Wheatley, and DT Zane Durant opted themselves out, declaring for the NFL Draft.

On the other hand, CB AJ Harris, CB Elliot Washington II, DE Chaz Coleman, OG Alex Birchmeier, TE Joey Schlaffer, LB Kari Jackson, and DE Daniel Jennings announced themselves for the NCAA Transfer Portal.

LB Alex Tatsch is out due to injury, and RB Nick Singleton and DE Zuriah Fisher are not in town. Besides that, Terry Smith named C Nick Dawkins, TE Khalil Dinkins, OT Nolan Rucci, and OT Drew Shelton, who opted out of the game.

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The interim coach addressed the players opting out as a missed opportunity, rather than a disappointment.

“Not disappointed. Have a tremendous opportunity to finish the season the way the last three games have gone. A moment and an opportunity for players to step forward. Adapting and adjusting. This next game is all that matters. Will play hard and get after it as they’ve done the last four or five weeks.”

It would be interesting to see how Terry Smith’s Nittany Lions write the final chapter of their 2025 campaign, given the numerous internal challenges they faced upfront.