Penn State football fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday following three straight losses.
Over parts of 12 seasons, Franklin compiled a 104-45 record in State College. The Nittany Lions posted six seasons of 10 wins or more, and they reached the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff just last season. Penn State was one play away from reaching the national championship game.
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As recently as 15 days before Sunday’s announcement, Franklin had the No. 2-ranked team in the country. His Nittany Lions were unbeaten and headed to overtime against the Oregon Ducks, a top-ranked opponent.
He was fired with no scandals or skeletons in his closet. Just 120 minutes of bad football against bad college football teams, UCLA and Northwestern.
Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, who understands a thing or two about how fast a season can slip away, discussed Franklin’s firing during his weekly teleconference with reporters
“It’s sad to see,” Swinney said via The State’s Chapel Fowler. “We all understand that it’s part of this business… but it’s still hard.”
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Swinney, whose Tigers were ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, but sit at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play following their 41-10 win at Boston College on Saturday, added:
“I know everyone will say, ‘Well, he’s getting the buyout.’ Coach Franklin didn’t get into coaching to make money — I promise you. This has been a calling upon his life … But I also understand the business. He’ll bounce back.”
Franklin is one of seven head coaches to be fired through the first month and a half of the 2025 season, joining UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Oregon State’s Trent Bray, and UAB’s Trent Dilfer.
Bray and Dilfer were both fired Sunday. Penn State announced that former Nittany Lions cornerback Terry Smith, the team’s associate head coach, would serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
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Clemson football schedule 2025
Clemson will welcome the SMU Mustangs (4-2, 2-0) to Memorial Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The game will be televised on ACC Network.
All start times Eastern.
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Aug. 30: vs. LSU (L, 17-10)
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Sept. 6: vs. Troy (W, 27-16)
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Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech (L, 24-21)
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Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse (L, 34-21)
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Oct. 11: at Boston College (W, 41-10)
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Oct. 18: vs. SMU, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
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Nov. 14: at Louisville, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
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Nov. 29: at South Carolina, noon, ABC or ESPN
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney addresses James Franklin firing
