Christian Smith Named Edge Rushers Coach for Penn State Football

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Football has announced the addition of Christian Smith to its on-field coaching staff for the 2026 season. Smith will serve as the edge rushers coach.

With the addition of Smith, Penn State’s primary on-field coaching staff consists of the following to date:

Terry Smith – Associate Head Coach/Cornerbacks
D’Anton Lynn – Defensive Coordinator
Justin Lustig – Special Teams Coordinator
Taylor Mouser – Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
Deon Broomfield – Safeties/Pass Game Coordinator
Ryan Clanton – Offensive Line
Ikaika Malloe – Defensive Line/Run Game Coordinator
Noah Pauley – Wide Receivers
Christian Smith – Edge Rushers
Tyson Veidt – Linebackers
Jake Waters – Quarterbacks
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Smith joins the Nittany Lions after a three-year stint at Northwestern coaching the defensive line.
A bright, young star in the profession, Smith was selected to the 2025 AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) 35 Under 35, which is aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Smith coached defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard, who was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree in two seasons, and finished No. 5 on Northwestern’s all-time sacks list with 20.5 career sacks.
Hubbard posted a career-high 7.5 sacks during the 2025 season, ranking ninth in the Big Ten.
In 2023, Smith helped Northwestern to an 8-5 overall record, which tied for a second-place finish in the Big Ten West with a 5-4 mark in conference games. The Wildcats ended the season on a four-game winning streak, including a 14-7 victory over Utah in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.
According to SP+, a tempo and opponent-adjusted metric that measures efficiency, Northwestern recorded a defensive rating of 18.6, the 18th-best mark nationally, during the 2023 season.
Smith joined the Wildcats after six seasons at South Dakota State, where he helped lead the Jackrabbits to the 2022 FCS National Championship, their first in program history.
In 2022, Smith’s defensive line anchored an SDSU defense which ranked first in FCS with 88.1 rushing yards allowed per game, second with 274.1 total yards per game, third in scoring defense at 15.8 points per game, and tied for fourth with 39.0 sacks.
Under his tutelage, senior defensive tackle Caleb Sanders was named a 2022 FCS First Team All-American by both AP and AFCA after tallying 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.
Along with Sanders, defensive end Reece Winkelman was named First Team All-MVFC after leading the team with 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. In Smith’s six years with the program, three Jackrabbit defensive linemen were named First Team All-MVFC and five were named Second Team.
During the 2020-21 season, Smith helped the Jackrabbits reach their first FCS National Championship in school history, falling 23-21 to Sam Houston State.
Behind Smith’s defensive line, the Jackrabbits allowed just 15.0 points per game and tallied 66 tackles for loss in 10 games. Sanders was named First Team All-MVFC after tallying 7.0 tackles for loss and led the team with 5.0 sacks.
In 2021, Smith and the Jackrabbits reached the 2021 FCS Playoffs semifinals, after Sanders and Winkelman combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks. Both were named Second Team All-MVFC. The Jackrabbits tallied 99.0 tackles for loss, 37.0 sacks, and 11 forced fumbles on the season while allowing just 109.9 rushing yards and 19.7 points per game.
All five FCS Playoffs semifinal appearances in South Dakota State program history came during Smith’s tenure. In his four years as the defensive line coach, the Jackrabbits held opponents to 16.58 points per game, 106.4 rushing yards per game, 295.5 total yards per game, and a 36.6% 3rd down conversion rate. He spent his first two seasons at SDSU exclusively coaching the defensive tackles.
Smith interned as a strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State before returning to Toledo as a graduate assistant from 2014-15. Smith was hired as a graduate assistant at Iowa State by first-year head coach Matt Campbell in 2016, where he worked with the defensive line and outside linebackers.
PLAYING CAREER

Smith was a standout defensive end for Toledo from 2010-13.
He totaled 80 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles in his career and was named team captain as a senior.
Smith was never part of a losing season at Toledo and helped lead the Rockets to three bowl games.
PERSONAL

A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Toledo in 2013 and master’s degree in parks, recreation and leisure studies in 2015.
He is married to his wife, Brenna, and they have one son, Cru.
THE SMITH FILE

Personal

Year at Penn State: 1st

Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Education: Toledo, 2013 – B.A. Criminal Justice; Toledo, 2015 – M.A. Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Family: Wife: Brenna Son: Cru

Coaching Career

2026: Penn State [Edge Rushers]

2022-25: Northwestern [Defensive Line]

2016-22: South Dakota State [Defensive Line]

2016: Iowa State [Graduate Assistant]

2014-15: Toledo [Graduate Assistant]

2013: Ohio State [Strength & Conditioning Intern]

Playing Experience

2010-13: Toledo [Defensive End]

Postseason as a Coach

2025: Game Above Sports Bowl [Northwestern]

2023: Las Vegas Bowl [Northwestern]

2022: Won FCS National Championship [South Dakota State]

2021: Reached FCS Semifinals [South Dakota State]

2020: Reached FCS National Championship [South Dakota State]

2019: Reached Second Round of FCS Playoffs [South Dakota State]

2018: Reached Second Round of FCS Playoffs [South Dakota State]

2017: Reached FCS Semifinals [South Dakota State]

2016: Reached FCS Quarterfinals [South Dakota State]

2015: Boca Raton Bowl [Toledo]

2014: GoDaddy Bowl [Toledo]

Prominent Players Coached

Aidan Hubbard [Northwestern]: Two-time All-Big Ten honoree

Anto Saka [Northwestern]: 2024 All-Big Ten honoree

Caleb Sanders [South Dakota State]: Saskatchewan Roughriders