Sports media world reacts to Penn State firing James Franklin

Entering Week 5 of the 2025 college football season, the Penn State Nittany Lions were riding high, ranked No. 3 in the country in the AP Poll (and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll). Since then, Penn State has lost three straight games and is unranked. And one day after an embarrassing home loss to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions fired their head coach.

Penn State announced on Sunday that head coach James Franklin has been fired, and associate head coach Terry Smith will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Penn State has made a change in the leadership of its football program, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft announced today. Associate Head Coach Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Kraft will lead the national search for the next head coach.

James Franklin concludes his tenure in University Park after 11-plus seasons with an overall record of 104-45, tying him for the second-winningest coach in the history of Penn State football.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” said Kraft. “He won a Big Ten Championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and 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.”

Franklin is owed more than $49 million, making this the second-largest buyout in college football history, behind only the buyout of $76 million-plus that Texas A&M owed Jimbo Fisher.

The more than $49 million set to be owed by Penn State to James Franklin is the second-biggest buyout in the history of college football. Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher buyout remains the most at more than $76 million.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025

Penn State went 13-3 in 2024 and lost 27-24 in the College Football Playoff semifinals to Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions began the 2025 season with a 3-0 record before losing the last three games.

Franklin, 53, was in year 12 at Penn State and put together a 104-45 record.

Here’s a look at how the sports media world has reacted to Penn State firing Franklin:

Penn State officially announces James Franklin’s firing.

He finishes his tenure 104-45, with five top-10 finishes.

And an all-time implosion at the end.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 12, 2025

Penn State was undefeated and in overtime with Oregon literally two weeks ago.

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 12, 2025

Barely 10 months ago James Franklin had won 2 College Football Playoff games and came within 3 points of playing for a natty. But PSU has lost 3 straight, 1 in OT to a top 5 team and 2 to #Bottom10 teams, so today he is unemployed. College football is a tough ass business.

— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) October 12, 2025

Wrote this last night. It’s still crazy how fast this all fell apart. pic.twitter.com/UEaqKhfvxM

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 12, 2025

The first @PennStateFball calls have to be:

Cig
Elko
Lane
Lea

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 12, 2025

“To me, there’s one name that this search starts with and that’s Matt Rhule at Nebraska.” @JTalty on head coach candidates after Penn State fired James Franklin. pic.twitter.com/Ehff7kLYd4

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2025

“The next hire needs to be someone whose mission is very clear … It’s to go win the first National Championship since 1986.”@TDsTake on what’s next for Penn State after firing James Franklin. pic.twitter.com/KXkZaw4gCx

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2025

The Nittany Lions also lost quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury on Saturday. So, Penn State will have a new head coach and a new quarterback on Saturday at Iowa before taking on juggernauts Ohio State and Indiana in the games that follow.