James Franklin plans to win national championship elsewhere

James Franklin says he 'can't wait' to coach again after Penn State fire him last weekend.

“I don’t know anything else,” Franklin said Saturday on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “I've been doing this for 30 years. I don't have a hobby. I don't play golf. I don't fish. It was such a big part of my personality, such a big part of my family. We like it.”

Penn State released Franklin on Sunday after the Nittany Lions started 0-3 in Big Ten play.

After last year's appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the team began the year ranked second in the preseason AP Top 25 poll but lost at home in double overtime. Oregon on September 27, dropping Franklin to 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games.

Then with losses UCLA And NorthwesternAccording to ESPN Research, Penn State became the first team since the FBS-FCS split in 1978 to lose back-to-back games despite holding a lead of 20 points or more in each game.

Before the team's meeting Sunday afternoon, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft informed Franklin that he was being fired.

“I was shocked,” Franklin admitted. “I'm still working on it myself. It feels surreal.”

Franklin won 104 games and posted double-digit wins six times in 11 seasons at Penn State, including the previous three.

“I had a great run there,” he said. “Penn State has been good to me and my family.”

Franklin noted that Penn State's expectations have risen dramatically during his tenure, especially this past offseason. This, in turn, led to his dismissal when it became clear that the Nittany Lions would not face them this season.

“We created this pressure,” he said. “That’s what I’m most proud of.”

Franklin, 53, still owes $49 million for the buyout, the second-largest in college football history. Now he said he hopes to achieve what he couldn't at Penn State.

“I thought we were going to win the national championship there,” he said. “We were close. This goal has not changed. Now we're just going to win a national championship somewhere else.”