Penn State has fired head football coach James Franklin in his 12th year at the helm of the Nittany Lions.
The university announced the decision Sunday afternoon following a 22-21 loss to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. It was the Nittany Lions’ third straight loss after starting the year ranked second and among the favorites to win a national championship.
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Former Penn State coach James Franklin through the years
Associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, a Penn State letterman, will serve as interim head coach.
Under the initial terms released for the contract extension Franklin signed in 2021, Penn State owes him $56 million as part of a buyout. However, the contract was amended in 2024 without the terms being made public. It is possible that Franklin and his camp negotiated different parameters for an exit.
Franklin was asked if he still wanted to be Penn State’s head coach after the loss to Northwestern, but he didn’t directly address the idea.
“It’s always been about our players, and these guys are hurting right now, and the fans are frustrated. I understand,” he said. “I totally understand. We have great fans here. We get incredible support and I understand their frustration. Trust me. We’re as frustrated as anyone.”
Pressed on whether being Penn State’s head coach remained the best situation for his career, Franklin responded in a way that suggested the writing was on the wall.
“I take full responsibility for what happened tonight,” he said. “I take full responsibility for what happened this season and I am committed to the guys in this locker room.”
Franklin took over at Penn State in 2014 after former coach Bill O’Brien left for the NFL. Inheriting a program under NCAA sanctions for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case, Franklin won the 2016 Big Ten championship in just his third season.
He piloted the Nittany Lions to six double-digit winning seasons, five New Year’s Six bowl games and a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, where Penn State lost by just three points to Notre Dame in the national semifinals.
Despite a long history of success, Franklin was never able to get his team over the hump when it mattered most. He finished 4-21 in games against opponents ranked in the national top 10 and 1-11 against rival Ohio State, the benchmark for high-end success in the conference.
Franklin’s teams were therefore best known for winning virtually every game they were expected to win, and back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern during such an anticipated season made the situation untenable.
He finished with a 104-45 mark as Penn State’s head coach, tied for second in college with Rip Engle.
Over the past week, after the UCLA loss, Franklin was asked if he still had confidence in the ability to achieve his goals at Penn State. He responded with a strong statement.
“I believe in Penn State. I believe in our players. I believe in the men and women of the Lasch Building. And I believe in myself,” he said.
Born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, Franklin called Penn State his “dream job” during his 2014 introductory press conference.
“I’m excited to come here,” he said then. “I’m a Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart.”
Now, Penn State and Franklin will go their separate ways.
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