Penn State fires James Franklin amid unfathomable three-game slide in Huge Ten play

Penn State has fired coach James Franklin six video games into his twelfth season with the Nittany Lions, the college introduced Sunday amid a disastrous three-game slide. 

The No. 2 staff within the preseason AP Prime 25 simply two months in the past, the Nittany Lions slipped to 0-3 in Huge Ten play following a shocking 22-21 dwelling loss to Northwestern in Week 7 — a recreation through which they had been a three-touchdown favourite. The huge upset was Penn State’s second in a row after falling at beforehand winless UCLA on Oct. 4, making it the primary FBS staff since 1978 to lose back-to-back video games as favorites of at the very least 20 factors. 

Affiliate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will function interim for the rest of the 2025 season. 

“Penn State owes an infinite quantity of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our soccer program right into a nationwide energy,” Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft mentioned in a press release. “He received a Huge Ten Championship, led us to seven New Yr’s Six bowl video games and a School Soccer Playoff look final yr. Nevertheless, we maintain our athletics packages to the very best of requirements, and we consider that is the appropriate second for brand spanking new management on the helm of our soccer program to advance us towards Huge Ten and nationwide championships.” 

Penn State additionally dropped its Huge Ten opener in double-overtime towards Oregon, which marked Franklin’s fifteenth straight loss towards an AP top-six staff. 

Coming off a School Soccer Playoff semifinal look towards Notre Dame final yr, the Nittany Lions had been anticipated to repeat as a playoff staff and push for a Huge Ten title. As a substitute, they be a part of a rising listing of packages looking for a brand new coach. Penn State’s 3-3 document marks the worst six-game begin for a preseason AP top-two staff since Oklahoma in 1964. 

Franklin departs Completely satisfied Valley with a 104-45 general document, together with a 64-36 mark in Huge Ten play. Penn State made its second Huge Ten Championship Sport look final season. The Nittany Lions received the Huge Ten simply as soon as (2016) throughout Franklin’s tenure. They did win at the very least 10 video games in six of his 12 seasons, together with three straight double-digit win campaigns from 2022-24. 

Previous to his hiring at Penn State in 2014, Franklin spent three seasons at Vanderbilt. He led the Commodores to back-to-back nine-win seasons and top-25 finishes from 2012-13. 

James Franklin buyout, contract info 

Franklin’s newest contract at Penn State paid him round $8 million yearly by means of 2031, together with a $500,000 retention bonus paid annually on Dec. 31. That very same contract stipulated that Franklin’s firing means he is owed all the remaining cash on the deal from the date he was fired, not together with that retention bonus. 

Meaning Penn State will owe Franklin round $50 million. Franklin’s buyout is the second-largest in faculty soccer historical past, behind solely the $76 million that Texas A&M has to pay former coach Jimbo Fisher. 

A timeline of the collapse 

A hopeful 2025 marketing campaign began out promising sufficient. The Nittany Lions, loaded with veteran expertise like quarterback Drew Allar and the operating again tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, stormed to a 3-0 document with wins towards overmatched nonconference opponents. 

It was after that auspicious begin that issues started to unravel…

• Sept. 27: Penn State storms again from a 17-3 fourth quarter deficit to pressure extra time towards No. 6 Oregon. The Geese rating a landing on every of their two possessions. Allar throws an interception on Penn State’s first offensive play of the second extra time interval, handing the Nittany Lions their first lack of the yr. 
• Oct. 4: Penn State hits the street to play an 0-4 UCLA staff led by an interim coach and a model new offensive coordinator. That new coordinator, Jerry Neuheisel, helps his staff bounce out to a shocking 30-7 lead. Penn State battles again however is not in a position to recuperate. Penn State is the primary AP top-10 staff to lose to an 0-4 staff since 1985 BYU. 
• Oct. 11: Penn State returns dwelling to play a 3-2 Northwestern staff that misplaced 23-3 to Tulane in its season opener. Northwestern walks out with a 22-21 win, its first victory in Beaver Stadium since 2014 — Franklin’s first yr with the Nittany Lions. Penn State additionally misplaced Allar to a season-ending damage. 

Penn State’s 3-3 begin is its worst of the Franklin period in a full 12-game season. The Nittany Lions did open their 2020 marketing campaign with an 0-5 document earlier than successful 4 straight video games to shut the yr. 

Huge-game struggles persist 

Penn State’s precipitous fall by means of the primary half of the 2025 season actually catalyzed the administration’s determination to half with Franklin, however discontent has been brewing beneath the floor for some time now. It is all because of Franklin’s lack of ability to win any huge video games, a constant battle that plagued his complete tenure despite the assets obtainable to him at a storied program like Penn State. 

Franklin’s .160 successful share towards top-10 groups is tied for the third-worst mark by a coach (minimal of 25 video games) at a single college because the AP ballot period started. That document is considerably worse when distilled to top-6 groups: Franklin posted a 2-21 ledger in such contests, the second worst mark all-time (minimal of 20 video games) behind former Virginia Tech boss Frank Beamer. 

Here is a deeper dive into the numbers behind Franklin’s big-game struggles: 

• 1-15 towards top-5 groups 
• 4-21 towards top-10 groups 
• 15-31 towards top-25 groups 

Past that, Franklin completed with a 4-17 exhibiting towards prime Huge Ten foes Michigan and Ohio State. That document drops to 1-13 towards the Buckeyes and the Wolverines if they’ve a rating beside their identify. Consequently, the Nittany Lions made simply two appearances within the Huge Ten Championship Sport throughout Franklin’s tenure. 

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