Why did Penn State fire James Franklin? What to know of football coach firing
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Why did Penn State fire James Franklin? What to know of football coach firing
Craig Meyer, USA TODAY NETWORK·USA TODAY Sports
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6 min read
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Sixteen days ago, everything was going well forJames Franklin, with his Penn State football team at 3-0, No. 2 in the country and with a seemingly clear path back to theCollege Football Playoff, where a shot at a long-awaited national championship loomed.
The move came one day after Penn State lost at home 22-21 toNorthwestern, dropping it to 3-3 and with no wins against Power Four conference opponents.
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2 following a home loss to Kentucky. Freeze was 15-19 in two-plus seasons on the Plains.
(John Reed, John Reed-Imagn Images)
LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M the night before.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Florida fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19 during his fourth season as Gators coach. UF was 22-23 during Napier's tenure.
(Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after a third straight loss. The Nittany Lions were 104-45 in 11-plus seasons under Franklin.
(Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
UAB fired Trent Dilfer on Oct. 12 after a 2-4 start to the 2025 season. Dilfer was in his third season as head coach of the Blazers.
(Randy Sartin, Imagn Images)
Sam Pittman was fired by Arkansas on Sept. 25, a day after the Razorbacks were blown out by Notre Dame, 56-13. Pittman was 32-34 in his five-plus seasons as Hogs coach.
(Nelson Chenault, Imagn Images)
Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after the Hokies started the season 0-3. Virginia Tech was 16-24 overall in Pry's three-plus seasons.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
UCLA fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after the Bruins fell to 0-3 following a home loss to New Mexico. The Bruins were 5-10 in Foster's one-plus season in charge.
(Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
Mike Gundy was in his 21st season as Oklahoma State coach when he was fired on Sept. 23. Gundy was 170-90 as Cowboys coach, but started 1-2 this season after going 3-9 in 2024.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
Oregon State fired Trent Bray on Oct. 12 after the Beavers started the season 0-7. The Beavers were 5-14 in Bray's season-plus in Corvallis.
(Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
Colorado State fired football coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19. Norvell was 18-26 in his four seasons in Fort Collins.
(Logan Newell/The Coloradoan)
Stanford coach Troy Taylor was fired prior to the 2025 season following allegations of mistreating staff. He was 6-18 in two seasons with the Cardinal and was replaced by interim coach Frank Reich.
(Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)
Kent State coach fired coach Kenni Burns on April 15 after he posted a 1-23 record of and was placed on administrative leave by the school in March. Mark Carney is serving as interim coach.
(Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images)
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College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
1/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
2/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2 following a home loss to Kentucky. Freeze was 15-19 in two-plus seasons on the Plains.
(John Reed, John Reed-Imagn Images)
3/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M the night before.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
4/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Florida fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19 during his fourth season as Gators coach. UF was 22-23 during Napier's tenure.
(Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
5/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after a third straight loss. The Nittany Lions were 104-45 in 11-plus seasons under Franklin.
(Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
6/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
UAB fired Trent Dilfer on Oct. 12 after a 2-4 start to the 2025 season. Dilfer was in his third season as head coach of the Blazers.
(Randy Sartin, Imagn Images)
7/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Sam Pittman was fired by Arkansas on Sept. 25, a day after the Razorbacks were blown out by Notre Dame, 56-13. Pittman was 32-34 in his five-plus seasons as Hogs coach.
(Nelson Chenault, Imagn Images)
8/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after the Hokies started the season 0-3. Virginia Tech was 16-24 overall in Pry's three-plus seasons.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
9/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
UCLA fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after the Bruins fell to 0-3 following a home loss to New Mexico. The Bruins were 5-10 in Foster's one-plus season in charge.
(Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
10/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Mike Gundy was in his 21st season as Oklahoma State coach when he was fired on Sept. 23. Gundy was 170-90 as Cowboys coach, but started 1-2 this season after going 3-9 in 2024.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
11/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Oregon State fired Trent Bray on Oct. 12 after the Beavers started the season 0-7. The Beavers were 5-14 in Bray's season-plus in Corvallis.
(Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
12/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Colorado State fired football coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19. Norvell was 18-26 in his four seasons in Fort Collins.
(Logan Newell/The Coloradoan)
13/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Stanford coach Troy Taylor was fired prior to the 2025 season following allegations of mistreating staff. He was 6-18 in two seasons with the Cardinal and was replaced by interim coach Frank Reich.
(Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)
14/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Kent State coach fired coach Kenni Burns on April 15 after he posted a 1-23 record of and was placed on administrative leave by the school in March. Mark Carney is serving as interim coach.
(Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images)
The two most recent defeats in that run were particularly damning for a talented and experienced team that was No. 3 in thepreseason US LBM Coaches Poll. After a double-overtime loss toOregonon Sept. 27, Penn State came up short against two of the worst teams in the Big Ten,UCLAand Northwestern, in back-to-back weeks.
Franklin was in his 12th season at the school. Over that time, he went 104-45, which included appearances in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. Last season, theNittany Lionsadvanced to the semifinals of the playoff, where it fell 27-24 to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.
Associate head coachTerry Smithwill serve as Penn State's interim head coach.
How did it to a point few people, if any, could have realistically envisioned as recently as last month?
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Here's a closer look at why Penn State fired Franklin:
Why did Penn State fire James Franklin?
By almost any measurement, Franklin is one of the greatest coaches in the history of Penn State, the kind of program where such a designationreallymeans something.
His 104 wins are tied with Rip Engle for the second-most in Nittany Lions history, behind only Joe Paterno, the FBS career victories leader. Under Franklin, a program that was still reeling from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal was rebuilt into a national power. Franklin helped guide Penn State to a Big Ten championship in 2016, five New Year's Six Bowl appearances and, perhaps most notably, a run to the playoff semifinals last season. He recruited extremely well, stocking the Nittany Lions with talented rosters that featured future NFL standouts likeSaquon BarkleyandMicah Parsons, among others.
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For all Franklin accomplished, he had shortcomings that were eventually too glaring for university leadership to ignore.
Franklin's teams regularly struggled to beat the best opponents on their schedule in the kinds of games that define seasons and coaching tenures. With a 30-24 loss to Oregon on Sept. 27, Franklin fell to 4-21 against top-10 teams at Penn State.
Those woes were most pronounced againstOhio State, a team that frequently stood as the Nittany Lions' biggest obstacle in its quest to make the playoff and win a national championship under Franklin. Franklin ended his tenure at Penn State with just a 1-10 record against theBuckeyes, which included eight consecutive losses. The Nittany Lions' last win against Ohio State came in Oct. 2016, in the final months of the Obama administration.
While Franklin's teams perpetually came up short in their biggest games, they usually made up for it by consistently winning the overwhelming majority of the rest of its games, a tendency that allowed Penn State to win at least 10 games in six of its final eight full seasons under Franklin. With losses to UCLA and Northwestern, though, even that small bit of comfort was shattered.
Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on September 13, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania
(Scott Taetsch, Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions yells towards an official after the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium on August 30, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the game against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 6, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 04, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 11: Head Coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 11, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar (15) react after losing to the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
(James Lang, James Lang-Imagn Images)
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin answers questions from the media following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on September 13, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania
(Scott Taetsch, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on September 13, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania
(Scott Taetsch, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions yells towards an official after the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium on August 30, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the game against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium on September 6, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on against the UCLA Bruins during the second quarter at Rose Bowl Stadium on October 04, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 11: Head Coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 11, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
(Isaiah Vazquez, Getty Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar (15) react after losing to the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
(James Lang, James Lang-Imagn Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
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Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin answers questions from the media following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
(Matthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
"Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power," Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraftsaid in a statement following Franklin's firing. "He won a Big Ten championship, led us to seven New Year's Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships."
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This season, the Nittany Lions were one of a small handful of favorites to win a national title. They, at last, had playoff experience to fall back on, having nearly made the championship game earlier this year. They brought back many of their key players, from quarterbackDrew Allarto the dynamic running back tandem ofNicholas SingletonandKaytron Allen. They were aggressive in the transfer portal to address what had been an inadequate wide receivers room, bringing inDevonte Ross(Troy),Trebor Pena(Syracuse) andKyron Hudson(USC). After defensive coordinator Tom Allen left for the same position at Clemson, they snagged Jim Knowles, arguably the best defensive mind in the sport, away from Ohio State days after he helped lead theBuckeyesto a national title.
With the losses to UCLA and Northwestern, though, what was set up to be a dream season quickly turned into a nightmare.
The buyout is the second-largest in college football history, behind only the record-$76 millionTexas A&Mowed Jimbo Fisher when the school fired him in 2023. The sum that Franklin is owed is more than double the previous second-highest buyout at the FBS level (the $21.45 million Auburn had to pay Gus Malzahn after it fired him in 2020).
James Franklin record
Franklin went 104-45 in his time at Penn State, including a 65-37 mark in Big Ten play.
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Prior to his arrival in State College, Franklin was the head coach for three seasons at Vanderbilt, where he guided a previously woefulCommodoresprogram to a 24-15 record and three bowl appearances. His time at Vanderbilt brings his total record as a head coach to 128-60.
