The college football world has been buzzing over Penn State’s bold decision to fire longtime head coach James Franklin following a third consecutive loss this season, two of which came against UCLA and Northwestern.
Franklin played a pivotal role in rejuvenating the program’s culture and restoring its national relevance over his 12 seasons, but just before last Sunday’s practice, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft informed him that the school was moving in a different direction.
Franklin revealed during an interview on “College GameDay” on Saturday that the news came as somewhat of a shock.
Legendary head coach Nick Saban weighed in on the situation, criticizing how Franklin was treated in those final moments and calling it “unfair.”
“It’s unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, get in the Final Four, come out being ranked No. 1 this year — an expectation that you created by what you accomplished at Penn State — and for those people not to show enough appreciation for that and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I’m saying it’s unfair,” Saban said.
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Franklin’s biggest struggles came against some of the top-tier talent in the Big Ten, such as Ohio State and Michigan, but outside of those matchups, he was as consistently successful as any coach in the conference.
Still, in a results-driven position — particularly during a season in which Penn State opened ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll — expectations were high, and they were not met in 2025 following last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal appearance.
Despite the setback, Franklin remains undeterred and is determined to land another coaching job while continuing his pursuit of a national championship.
“I thought we were going to win a national championship there,” Franklin said. “That goal hasn’t changed. We’re now going to win a national championship somewhere else.”
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