An Open Letter to Penn State Booster Terry Pegula: Write The Check
Dear Mr. Pegula,
The last three losses, including today’s humiliating defeat at home to Northwestern, cut especially deep for Penn State Football.
Not just for the players or coaches, but for the entire community that has stood by this program through the highs and lows.
It is understandable that the weight of the decision being asked of you, but this is a letter written with conviction that Penn State must have the courage to move forward, and that, in this moment, that means relieving James Franklin of his duties as head coach of the football program.
Below are the compelling reasons, as well as the risks of not acting in an urgent but respectful manner.
Hopefully, you will consider them thoughtfully and thoroughly.
The Case for Penn State Football to Buy Out James Franklin
1. James Franklin’s Repeated Failures in Big Games
Over the years, one of the most consistent criticisms of Franklin’s tenure has been a pattern of failing to close out marquee matchups.
Time and again, in games that define seasons, against top-ranked opponents, in rivalry contests, or in postseason moments, Penn State has fallen short under the auspices of James Franklin.
Franklin is a jaw-dropping 4-21 versus top 10 teams. These are not merely isolated losses, but a cumulative impression that the program cannot rely on him to deliver when stakes are highest.
At some point, even within the locker room, it becomes apparent that the coach is not going to deliver the big win in the biggest games, and that is when doubt can shake the bedrock of an entire program.
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2. Declining Morale
The Penn State football program brought a number two ranking into this season boasting one of the most talented rosters they’ve had in decades. In the last eight days the team has lost to an 0-4, 24.5 point underdog and a 21 point underdog at home respectively.
The locker room, the coaching staff, recruits, and boosters all sense the national humiliation.
Players have lost confidence, and potential recruits are now questioning the direction of the program. The Nittany Lions saw a prized five-star in-state commit announce he was reopening his commitment, just on Friday.
As of writing this to you, the post-game announcers are calling out the Penn State players, saying “they have no heart.”
A fresh start can re-energize the faithful, restore belief, and reset expectations for a once proud program.
3. Recruiting and Retention Vulnerability
In today’s competitive landscape, specifically the transfer portal and the NIL, early departures are commonplace, and the coach is often the keystone in convincing top talent to keep their commitments.
How much credibility does coach Franklin have at this point to ask anyone to stay mired in an environment of confusion and lethargy?
When there is dysfunction, poor culture, and uncertainty at the top, losing becomes an epidemic and recruits will not hesitate to sign elsewhere. Current players may also seek exit paths. The longer this state persists, the more we bleed in future recruiting classes and depth.
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4. Cultural Change
You and other major boosters have poured not only passion but big-time dollars into this program.
Stadium upgrades, support staff, facilities, all these lean on the basic premise that the program’s leadership must deliver a return.
When peak performance plateaus or declines, the value proposition weakens. We owe it to the players, fans, your investment and generosity not to allow complacency to fester.
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5. Leadership in Crisis
Leadership calls for decisive action, not passive hope. Letting the status quo persist, for fear of cost or criticism, is a choice in itself. If the program is to regain its competitive soul, the difficult decisions must come from those who believe most in its greatness.
Why it Has to be Terry Pegula to Step in and Buy Out James Franklin’s Contract
Mr. Pegula, few people embody the spirit of Penn State more than you.
You are a 1973 graduate who turned your energy and entrepreneurial spirit into one of America’s great success stories, and then gave it back to your alma mater with unprecedented generosity.
You built the Pegula Ice Arena, a $100 million gift that transformed Penn State hockey from a club program into a national contender overnight. You and your wife, Kim, have invested more than $120 million into Penn State athletics, endowing scholarships, upgrading facilities, and inspiring other donors to match your example. You didn’t just fund buildings, you fueled belief.
And that’s exactly what’s needed again. You embody what Penn State Football should stand for .
If the change is to carry legitimacy, it needs to come from a place of vision, not reactive anger. You are uniquely positioned to shepherd this transition with dignity, ensuring it is not a purge but a rebalance in pursuit of excellence.
Writing the check isn’t just about ending an era.It’s about beginning a new one, one where Penn State stands shoulder-to-shoulder again with Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, and Texas. One where we expect greatness instead of apologizing for its absence.
You can make that happen, not out of anger or impulsiveness, but out of stewardship and love for what Penn State football means to millions of people who never stopped believing in its greatness.
The financial hurdle is surmountable.
Yes, Franklin’s contract includes a very large buyout (currently estimated at ~$56 million, decreasing in subsequent years). But, history shows that private donors, booster groups, and athletic foundations have partnered to absorb such costs in elite football programs.
If the will exists, the funds can be mobilized.
Acting now sends a message of urgency, clarity, and accountability. Waiting until season’s end, after deeper damage is done, risks further erosion of recruiting, player buy-in, amd alumni financial support.
A new leader can reforge unity and an identity reset. It gives fans permission to hope again. It commands attention in the college football world and signals that Penn State refuses to settle for “good enough.”
The Cost of Complacency
The cost of doing nothing may exceed a buyout.
Imagine further swaths of transfers, diminishing ticket sales, erosion of brand value, declining donations. Compared to that, an upfront investment in leadership change could yield higher returns long term.
Every coaching change has risk.
Leaving coach Franklin in place because we fear the unknown isn’t the safer path anymore and has no upside in trajectory.
Coach Franklin has had success and built stability. But stability without upward trajectory becomes stagnation. At a program of Penn State’s stature, merely “good” is not enough. Right now, you can’t even use that word in the same sentence with Penn State football.
If handled transparently and respectfully, a transition can unite the base around a vision, not fracture it. Your leadership can frame it as a continuation of commitment, not a repudiation.
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It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008.It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run.In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic along with 4 Philly Sports and now covers Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
