Penn State fires football coach James Franklin after Northwestern loss

The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.

Penn State has fired the head coach after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern, multiple sources told the Centre Daily Times, the third loss in a row for the Nittany Lions. He went 104-45 in his 11-plus years leading the program, but he fell well short of expectations this season. Despite being voted the nation’s No. 2 team in the preseason AP top 25, the Nittany Lions currently stand at 3-3 with three Big Ten losses.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news and Penn State made the announcement Sunday afternoon.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Penn State AD Pat Kraft said in the official press release. “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.”

Penn State cornerbacks coach/associate head coach Terry Smith will be the interim head coach.

Franklin was non-committal when asked about his future with the program following the loss to the Wildcats.

“I take full responsibility for what’s happened tonight,” Franklin said when asked if he thought staying at Penn State was best for his career. “I take full responsibility for what’s happened this season, and I’m committed to the guys in that locker room.”

Franklin’s tenure comes to an end after only one College Football Playoff appearance in his time with the program, and the third loss means the team won’t make it this season even with him out of the picture.

His buyout is estimated to be more than $49 million, with a source telling the CDT that it can be paid out over the length of the contract, which ends after the 2031 season, rather than a lump sum.

This story was originally published October 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM.