James Franklin said he was “shocked” when Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft told him last Sunday that they were looking to change their head coach.
Franklin explained on ESPN's “College GameDay” in Athens, Georgia on Saturday that he received the news from Kraft at approximately 1:30 p.m., 15 minutes before the team's scheduled meeting.
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“Obviously I was in shock,” Franklin said on GameDay. “It actually took the next 15 minutes to tell my kids so they wouldn’t find out about it online. And then I went down and had a very emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. Really, that's all. It was so fast.”
Franklin repeated: “He was obviously pretty shocked by what was happening.”
Not afraid frightening ransomPenn State left Franklin after its third straight loss, although Kraft told reporters Monday that Franklin's firing was the result of more than just an unexpected three-game losing streak this season.
However, a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern was the final straw for Happy Valley. It was the Nittany Lions' second straight loss as a 20-point favorite. They lost last week to a winless UCLA team that fired its head coach in mid-September. Penn State's decline began in double overtime in a top-five game against Oregon. The Ducks immediately scored the go-ahead touchdown and then spoiled Penn State's Whiteout with an interception of senior quarterback Drew Allar.
STATE COLLEGE, PA – AUGUST 30: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talks to Drew Allar #15 during the first half against the Nevada Wolfpack at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on August 30, 2025 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Thatch/Getty Images)
(Scott Thatch via Getty Images)
Allar entered the season as a player First round of NFL draft is encouraging. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury late in a loss to Northwestern, but struggled through the games leading up to that upset.
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A three-year starter, Allar was one of several Penn State players to take a break from the NFL and return to State College for another national championship appearance after the Nittany Lions reached the semifinals of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff in the 2024 season. They also brought on board Jim Knowles, the defensive coordinator who just helped Ohio State win it all.
Penn State entered the 2025 season as the popular choice to win the national title. Three weeks ago, the Nittany Lions were ranked third in the country. Now 3-3 without the starting quarterback and head coach of the last 12 seasons.
Franklin went 104-45 during his time at Penn State. He picked up where Bill O'Brien left off, rebuilding the program wrecked by the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Franklin coached the Nittany Lions to six seasons with double-digit wins, including five seasons with 11 or more wins, and a Big Ten championship in 2016.
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But his tenure was overshadowed by his record against AP top-10 opponents. In those games, Franklin went just 4-21, including 1-18 against teams ranked in the Big Ten's top 10.
“Twelve years, a lot of good times, a lot of big wins, but decisions have been made and I'm not part of those decisions,” Franklin said Saturday.
“I’m very, very grateful for the time I had and most importantly the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win the national championship there. We were close. This goal has not changed. Now we're just going to win a national championship somewhere else.”
This story is being updated.
