BREAKING: Penn State Fires James Franklin
Following a stunning three-game skid for Penn State Football, Head Coach James Franklin has been relieved of his duties.
In a preseason filled with National Championship hopes, the Nittany Lions have come up during the season.
Penn State opened as the No. 2 team in the nation, but the 2025 campaign took a nose dive in a double-overtime loss to Oregon that neither Franklin or his program were able to overcome.
After slogging through 3 non-conference games, Oregon, UCLA, and now Northwestern have all beaten Penn State this season, who have yet to defeat a Power-Four program this fall.
James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State will be one that Penn State fans argue about for years to come.
Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a 104-45 record over his 12 years in State College. Franklin miraculously led Penn State out of the dark years of the sanctions with a storybook season in 2016. He had successes and failures throughout all 12 of his years, but ultimately, Athletic Director Pat Kraft has decided to move on from Franklin.
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Penn State reached the College Football Playoff in 2024, for the first time, after the tournament expanded to 12 teams and came one drive shy of knocking off Notre Dame to appear in the National Championship Game.
This season, with a hoarde of veteran talent returning, led by quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, and others, Penn State was considered a favorite to win the national championship.
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However, three consecutive losses that eliminate Penn State from playoff contention this season became too much for Franklin to overcome.
NittanyCentral is still awaiting more details on who will be the interim Head Coach, and will update the story as more information becomes available.
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.