"He's somebody who's been here for very long time": Penn State WR backs James Franklin's replacement for Week 8 game against Iowa

The search for the next Penn State head coach has started in earnest after the Nittany Lions fired their former coach, James Franklin, on Sunday following their third consecutive loss of the season, dropping them to 3-3. Cornerbacks and associate head coach Terry Smith was announced as the program's interim head coach as the Nittany Lions' coaching search continues.

During the weekly news conference ahead of the Nittany Lions' clash against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 8, wide receiver Devonte Ross backed James Franklin's replacement to lead the program.

"I feel like he's just an honorable person. He's somebody who's been here for a very long time, so he understands the tradition and legacy here at Penn State," Devonte Ross said.

Terry Smith played for the Nittany Lions as a wide receiver between 1987 and 1991 and graduated from the institution with a business management degree, after which he was picked by the Washington Redskins in the eleventh round of the 1992 NFL draft. He joined the fired James Franklin's staff in 2014

Penn State coach admits loyalty to fired James Franklin

Terry Smith was the cornerbacks coach before James Franklin was fired on Sunday and during a news conference after he was named the Penn State interim coach, he admitted his loyalty to the former coach. Smith further described the shock of the Franklin dismissal and his sudden ascendancy to the top job.

“When I woke up yesterday morning, I had no idea I was going to be the interim head coach of Penn State University,” Smith said. “Today I'm super proud to be that. I will lead this program to the best of my ability, and we're going to get it back on track. We didn’t anticipate this, but it has happened. "Every person that’s in the Lasch Football Building, James Franklin brought them there. From the coaches to the staff to all the personnel in the building, he brought every one of us here. So there is an attachment to him. There is a sense of loyalty to him. Now it's my job to press us forward."

With the college football hot seat heating up for several coaches, the coaching carousel has become even more intense and the Nittany Lions' job remains one of the most desirable ones available.

An On3 report released on Tuesday linked Penn State to the Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule, who played for the program and still shares a close relationship with Nittany Lions athletic director Pat Kraft.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo