James Franklin said he was “in shock” when Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft told him this past Sunday that they were going to make a head-coaching change.
Franklin explained on ESPN’s “College GameDay” set in Athens, Georgia, Saturday that he received the news from Kraft at about 1:30 p.m., 15 minutes before his regularly-scheduled team meeting.
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“I was in shock, obviously,” Franklin said on “GameDay.” “Really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn’t find out on the internet. And then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell ’em I was leaving. Really, that was it. It was that quick.”
Franklin reiterated: “Obviously, pretty much in shock as that was going on.”
Undeterred by an intimidating buyout, Penn State moved on from Franklin after its third straight loss, although Kraft told reporters Monday that Franklin’s firing was the result of more than just this season’s unexpected three-game losing streak.
Regardless, a 22-21 home defeat to Northwestern was the final straw in Happy Valley. It was the Nittany Lions’ second consecutive loss as a 20-point favorite. The previous week, they fell to a winless UCLA team that fired its head coach in mid-September. Penn State’s downward spiral began in double overtime in a top-five matchup versus Oregon. The Ducks immediately scored a go-ahead touchdown and then spoiled Penn State’s “White Out” by intercepting senior quarterback Drew Allar.
STATE COLLEGE, PA – AUGUST 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions interacts with Drew Allar #15 during the first half against the Nevada Wolf Pack at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on August 30, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
Allar came into the season as a first-round NFL Draft hopeful. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury late in the loss to Northwestern, but he struggled in the games leading up to that upset.
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A three-year starter, Allar was one of several Penn State players to hit pause on the NFL and return to State College for one more crack at a national championship after the Nittany Lions reached the semifinals of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff during the 2024 season. They also brought aboard Jim Knowles, the defensive coordinator who just helped Ohio State win it all.
Penn State came into the 2025 season as a popular pick to take home the national title. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 3 in the country three weeks ago. Now they’re 3-3 without their starting quarterback or their head coach of the past 12 seasons.
Franklin went 104-45 during his tenure at Penn State. He picked up where Bill O’Brien left off in rebuilding a program set back by the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Franklin coached the Nittany Lions to six double-digit-win seasons, notably five seasons with 11 or more victories, as well as a Big Ten championship in 2016.
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But his stay was marred by his record against AP top-10 opponents. Franklin was just 4-21 in those games, including 1-18 versus top-10 Big Ten teams.
“Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins, but decisions were made, and I’m not involved in those decisions,” Franklin said Saturday.
“I’m very, very grateful for the time I had and most importantly for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win a national championship there. We were close. That goal hasn’t changed. We’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now.”
