James Franklin sealed his fate at Penn State with a quote he dropped before the 2025 season
The Penn State Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday after the program dropped its third straight game. Franklin had been the head coach at Penn State since 2014.
The end of the James Franklin era at Penn State came fast.
Really fast.
Franklin nearly took the Nittany Lions to the national championship game last season (Penn State lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals). Less than a year later, he’s out at Penn State.
The Nittany Lions fired Franklin on Sunday following Penn State’s loss to Northwestern (the loss was PSU’s third in a row, following losses to UCLA and Oregon).
Franklin had been the head coach at Penn State since 2014. He won 11 or more games five times while at Penn State.
James Franklin sealed his fate at Penn State with a quote he dropped before the 2025 season
Franklin’s fate at Penn State was likely sealed via a quote he made before the season.
At Big 10 Media Days during the summer, Franklin told reporters that the “combined personnel” at Penn State in 2025 was the best it’s been during his time at the program.
“This is the best combined personnel that I think we’ve had at Penn State,” said Franklin in July. “And when I talk about personnel, I’m talking about players and staff, from a depth, from a talent standpoint, and from an experience standpoint.”
You absolutely can’t start the season 3-3 with losses to UCLA and Northwestern after dropping a quote like that.
Franklin complained for years behind the scenes about not having the resources at Penn State to compete with Ohio State. And then when he got those resources, his team laid a major egg.
Penn State had no choice but to move on from Franklin after he followed up that quote by getting off to a dreadful start this season.
Franklin had a great run at Penn State. But he couldn’t deliver a national championship. And Penn State clearly feels like they can find a coach who can bring a natty back to Happy Valley.
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