After 12 seasons of unfulfilled promise, Penn State is moving on from head coach James Franklin.
On Sunday, ESPN college sports insider Pete Thamel tweeted Penn State has fired Franklin and will owe him a whopping $49M. Terry Smith, who served as an assistant coach for 12 seasons under Franklin, will replace him as the interim HC.
Paying $49M to a fired coach is absurd for the Nittany Lions, but it was time for both parties to move on. This season, the program has been heading in the wrong direction. After starting the season No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, Penn State (3-3) is now unranked and has lost three consecutive games to No. 8 Oregon (5-1), UCLA (2-4) and Northwestern (4-2). The coaching change was clearly needed. However, big questions remained unanswered.
Where does Penn State go from here?
Barring some miraculous turnaround, the 2025 season seems like a lost one for the Nittany Lions. Starting quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the 22-21 loss to Northwestern, and backup QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, a redshirt freshman, has attempted just 13 passes in two seasons with the school. Figure on him struggling at No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) and No. 3 Indiana (6-0) in Weeks 10 and 11, respectively.
Assuming the Nittany Lions don’t promote Smith, they must find a clear upgrade over Franklin, and that may prove more difficult than expected. For all his shortcomings, such as a 1-10 record against Ohio State, Franklin helped the program regain its national relevance.
During his tenure, Penn State posted a 104-45 record, won the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game and reached the 2024-25 College Football Playoff. Additionally, he churned out NFL stars, including Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons.
Penn State could try to lure another Big Ten coach, perhaps Indiana’s Curt Cignetti. But he may want to stay with the Hoosiers, who are just as willing to spend as the Nittany Lions. In a story published in December 2024, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford reported Indiana spent $13.6M on NIL (name, image and likeness) for football, while Penn State invested $13.7M.
Franklin’s buyout will likely impact Penn State’s NIL efforts. The program must be well-funded; otherwise, it will fail to attract top candidates. If it fails to do that, it could be in for a long head-coaching search.
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