Penn State announced Sunday that it has dismissed head football coach James Franklin after 12 seasons with the program.
Franklin is owed more than $49 million per the terms of his contract, marking the second-largest buyout in college football history behind only Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million payout from Texas A&M.
Associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The move comes less than a year after Penn State’s appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Nittany Lions’ season unraveled following a shocking road loss to UCLA two weeks ago — a team that had been winless and had yet to hold a lead all season.
The struggles continued at home, where “Fire Franklin!” chants echoed through Beaver Stadium after Penn State’s 22–21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. The defeat marked the team’s second consecutive home loss and third overall, leaving the program reeling.
Franklin’s Struggles in Big Games
Since taking over in 2014, Franklin’s teams have consistently faltered against ranked opponents. His 29 losses to AP-ranked teams, 19 losses as an AP Top-10 team, and 21 defeats against AP Top-10 opponents are the most or tied for the most by any coach over that span.
With the back-to-back losses, Penn State became the first team since the FBS-FCS split in 1978 to lose consecutive games while favored by at least 20 points in each.
Against Northwestern, the Nittany Lions committed six penalties for 71 yards in the first half alone and never found their rhythm. The night grew worse when quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter.
Earlier this season, a home loss to Oregon dropped Franklin’s record to 4–21 against AP top-10 teams at Penn State, including just 1–18 versus top-10 Big Ten opponents. His .160 winning percentage in such games ranks among the lowest for any coach with at least 25 appearances against top-10 foes since the AP poll began in 1936.
Penn State vice president for intercollegiate athletics Patrick Kraft expressed appreciation for Franklin’s service but emphasized the program’s high expectations.
“We believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships,” Kraft said.
Franklin departs tied with Rip Engle for the second-most wins in Penn State history.
