James Franklin’s time in Happy Valley is over.
Penn State has fired its head coach following a 3-3 start to the season, ESPN reported Sunday. The move comes a day after Penn State’s second straight loss as a 20-plus-point favorite, losing to Northwestern, 22-21, on Saturday. A week prior, Penn State was upset by UCLA, 42-37, after suffering a double overtime loss to Oregon at home in Week 5.
The move ends Franklin’s tenure after 12 seasons, in which he helped bring some high-level success back to Penn State in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He coached the Nittany Lions to six double-digit-win seasons, winning three New Year’s Six bowl games over his tenure. He also helped Penn State win the Big Ten Championship in 2016.
However, the later seasons of Franklin’s tenure were defined by Penn State’s shortcomings in big games. After upsetting Ohio State in 2016, he failed to beat the Buckeyes again. That win marked his only victory against a top-10 Big Ten team, going 1-18 in such games during his Penn State tenure.
Still, Franklin was able to get Penn State to the College Football Playoff last season, reaching the semifinal. It lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, marking the closest that Penn State came to winning a national championship since 1986.
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Following the loss, expectations were high for Penn State entering the 2025 season. It was ranked second in the first AP Poll, while many analysts predicted Penn State to win the national championship. But following its third loss of the season on Saturday, which saw quarterback Drew Allar suffer a season-ending injury, Penn State’s hopes of a second straight CFP appearance are likely ended.
Franklin went 104-45 in his 12 seasons as head coach.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
