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Nick Saban Sends Message to Penn State After James Franklin Firing
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- Nick Saban Sends Message to Penn State After James Franklin Firing
The Penn State Nittany Lions officially dismissed head coach James Franklin on Sunday after a 3–3 start to the season that included back-to-back, unexpected losses to the UCLA Bruins and Northwestern Wildcats following an overtime defeat at home against the Oregon Ducks.
On Friday, "College GameDay" analyst and former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban commented publicly on Franklin's firing, noting that Penn State must hire a coach "with a history of having some success who knows how to develop a program and continue to win and to deal with success."
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"One of the things that people talk about with Franklin is that he couldn't win the big game. Well, how many people beat those teams?" Saban said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "People used to get on him because he couldn't beat us [Alabama], but we didn't get beaten very much. So there's some give and take in all that."
Saban added, "He created an expectation that really was difficult for him to live up to. ... So, the next person is going to have to do the same thing but then learn how to deal with success and get the program over the hump."
Franklin's 11.5‑year run ended with a 104–45 record , multiple 10‑win seasons, a 2016 Big Ten title and a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals at the end of last season. However, he ultimately failed to put the Nittany Lions in legitimate title contender conversations, which is why his run as head coach was cut short.
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Athletic director Pat Kraft named defensive coordinator Terry Smith the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Since the firing, several media outlets have linked high-profile candidates to the Penn State opening, notably Matt Rhule (Nebraska Cornhuskers), Matt Campbell (Iowa State Cyclones) and even reports that the program could "swing big" on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 's Marcus Freeman.
To Saban's point, the new hire will be faced with several challenges, not just winning football games, but recruiting on a national scale and all of the politics/pressure that comes with leading a blue-chip program like Penn State.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
