STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s ongoing search for a head coach has plenty of layers to it.

Not only will the next hire bring his own schemes, mottos, practice traditions and coaches, but he may bring his own players, too. And any player on Penn State’s current roster will be afforded the chance to enter the transfer portal shortly following the hire.

The Nittany Lions could look completely different in 2026.

But there’s a core of young talent making huge contributions as Penn State has made a late turnaround in the 2025 season. And virtually every single one of them showed vocal support for interim head coach Terry Smith as the full-time option after thumping Nebraska, 37-10.

The Nittany Lions found paper signs that read “Hire Terry Smith” and paraded them around the field postgame. They shoved the signs into every camera on the field. Offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh even made his way onto the national NBC broadcast and made his case: “Hire this man immediately!” he yelled.

Earlier in the week, before Smith addressed the media following Wednesday’s practice, an anonymous player shouted, “Interview Pat Kraft and tell him to hire Coach T!”

James Franklin was the one who primarily recruited every member of the current roster. But Smith had his hands in most of those recruitments. And it’s quite clear his status could make a big difference in who’s here and who’s not next year.

Former Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson, working on NBC’s broadcast of Saturday’s Penn State win, revealed conversations he had over the past week that show as much.

“They all said they want Terry Smith to be their head coach. Every single player I talked to, every guy I talked to that said they’re thinking about leaving, they said, ‘I’m staying if Terry Smith gets this job,’” Robinson said at halftime. “I’ve talked to hundreds of alumni since I’ve been here, and every single one of them thinks Terry Smith should be the head coach. And I personally think Terry Smith should be the head coach.”

Perhaps the most noteworthy of the current Nittany Lions with remaining eligibility is redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. He took over for the injured Drew Allar in the same week Smith replaced Franklin, and he’s steadily improved as both a locker room leader and on-field performer with each game.

Grunkemeyer quietly tied a Penn State program record for single-game completion percentage against Nebraska at 91.7%. He was ridiculously efficient, completing 11 of 12 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. He went to six different receivers, five of whom had at least one reception of 20-plus yards.

The signal caller acknowledged that Smith’s earning the full-time role could impact players’ desires to stay in Happy Valley.

“It’s a guy that we’re all familiar with,” Grunkemeyer said. “I think it would definitely help with that for sure.”

Would Grunkemeyer stay if Smith did?

“It’s definitely something I would for sure consider,” he said. “I’m not going to get into too much of it, but, yeah, absolutely.”

It’s important to note, Penn State’s roster will also look plenty different in 2026 regardless of coaching-related transfers. The Nittany Lions honored 34 players before kickoff Saturday for Senior Day. There’s a huge group of veteran stars like Kaytron Allen, Nick Singleton, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant who couldn’t come back if they wanted to.

But if they were in the shoes of younger players? They, too, might be swayed if Smith became the full-time head coach.

“I think it’d be tremendous. Guys who already know Coach Terry that play here now already know what he brings to the table,” said Durant, a team captain. “The guys who are already here could probably be solidified. If I were to come back, I’d probably be solidified, because I know who he is. I know what he’s bringing to the table. He knows who I am. We’re already familiar. All you gotta do is just work.”

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