The university is among four schools nationwide that have rejected a compact that called for enrollment limitations, hiring restrictions and a tuition freeze.

Smith, who has served as the team's defensive recruiting coordinator since 2014, said he personally recruited three-fourths of the current roster. Now his job is keeping players from leaving.

The Penn State football program has faced plenty of adversity throughout the first two months of the 2025 college football season. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 in the country in the preseason AP Top 25 poll,

Penn State is no longer the largest U.S. alumni fan base. PSU recently was passed by Indiana University, which proudly boasted of its new No. 1 ranking in a recent press release. Per IU and the website almabase.

Rowan, who led the ouster of Penn's former president and continues to criticize higher education, has remained the chair of Wharton's advisory board.