Penn State fires James Franklin amid unfathomable three-game slide in Big Ten play
Penn State fired coach James Franklin six games into his 12th season with the Nittany Lions, the university announced Sunday amid a disastrous three-game loss.
The No. 2 team in the preseason AP Top 25 just two months ago, the Nittany Lions slipped to 0-3 in Big Ten play after a stunning 22-21 home loss to Northwestern in Week 7 — a game in which they were a three-touchdown favorite. The huge upset was Penn State’s second in a row after falling to previously winless UCLA on Oct. 4, making it the first FBS team since 1978 to lose consecutive games as a favorite by at least 20 points.
Associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.
“Penn State owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Coach Franklin who has rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft said in a statement. “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 standards, and we believe this is the right time for new leadership to lead our football program to advance us toward the Big Ten and national championships.”
Penn State also dropped its Big Ten opener in double overtime to Oregon, which marked Franklin’s 15th straight loss to an AP top-six team.
After a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance against Notre Dame last year, the Nittany Lions were expected to repeat as a playoff team and contend for a Big Ten title. Instead, they join a growing list of programs looking for a new coach. Penn State’s 3-3 record marks the worst six-game start for an AP preseason top-two team since Oklahoma in 1964.
Franklin leaves Happy Valley with a 104-45 overall record, including a 64-36 mark in Big Ten play. Penn State made its second appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game last season. The Nittany Lions have only won the Big Ten once (2016) during Franklin’s tenure. They have won at least 10 games in six of its 12 seasons, including three straight double-digit winning campaigns from 2022 to 2024.
Prior to his hire at Penn State in 2014, Franklin spent three seasons at Vanderbilt. He led the Commodores to back-to-back nine-win seasons and a top-25 ranking from 2012-13.
James Franklin buyout, contract information
Franklin’s last contract at Penn State paid him approximately $8 million per year through 2031, including a $500,000 retention bonus paid annually on Dec. 31. That same contract stated that Franklin’s termination means he owes her all remaining money on the deal from the date of his termination, not including that retention bonus.
That means Penn State will owe Franklin about $50 million. Franklin’s buyout is the second largest in college football history, trailing only the $76 million Texas A&M must pay former coach Jimbo Fisher.
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