James Franklin, the head coach of Penn State, was fired by the university on Oct. 12, 2025. The Nittany Lions, who were the second ranked team in the preseason after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last year. According to ESPN, they had won their first three games of the season, against Nevada, Florida International University, and Villanova, giving the team a 3-0 start to the year. However, since then, they have suffered three consecutive defeats.

Fox Sports reports that to begin Big Ten Conference play, the Nittany Lions lost to the Oregon Ducks, which gave them their first loss. This was then followed up by an upset on the road to the University of California Los Angeles Bruins, who were winless prior to this matchup. Their most recent loss came against the Northwestern Wildcats at home in Beaver Stadium with a final score of 22-21. During this game, the team also lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to a leg injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Franklin’s record at the school ended with 104 wins and 45 losses, however, he struggled against teams in the top ten of the Associated Press rankings, going 4-21. 

According to ESPN, Franklin was signed by former athletic director Sandy Barbour to a ten-year contract extension in 2021, which was worth up to 85 million dollars, but as a result of Franklin’s firing, he is owed more than 49 million dollars from his contract, making this the second-largest buyout in the history of college football. Since then, the university has said that Terry Smith will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the year. Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said that the university owes Franklin an “enormous amount of gratitude” for guiding the Nittany Lions to becoming relevant once again. Kraft also added “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.”

NBC News reports that Franklin was hired in 2014 after Bill O’Brien left Penn State for the National Football League (NFL). At the time, the university was dealing with unexpected sanctions enforced by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) due to a scandal involving Jerry Sandusky.

Franklin was able to guide Penn State to a Big Ten championship win in 2016 and coached some players who have become NFL stars, including linebacker Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers, who the NFL reports was named the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and running back Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, who has won several awards in his career. According to the NFL, Barkley’s most recent award was the 2024 AP Offensive Player of the Year.

Franklin’s firing has warranted reactions of current players on the team. According to the New York Post, Nittany Lions captain Nick Dawkins said “Ultimately, for us, at least as players, it’s just an overwhelming sense of guilt.” Parsons, who used to play at Penn State, posted on social media site X, saying “Regardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn’t feel right to me! Coach deserved better! My self and countless others wouldn’t be where we are today without Coach! Thank you.”

With the firing of James Franklin, their head coach of 12 years, the Nittany Lions are faced with the daunting task of trying to get their season back on track.