Penn State has fired head football coach James Franklin in his 12th year at the helm of the Nittany Lions.

The university announced the move Sunday afternoon after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. It was the third straight loss for the Nittany Lions after entering the year ranked No. 2 and among the favorites to win a national championship.

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Former Penn State coach James Franklin through the years

Associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, a Penn State letterman, will serve as the interim head coach.

According to the original terms released for the contract extension Franklin signed in 2021, Penn State owes him $56 million dollars in a buyout. However, the contract was amended in 2024 without publicly released terms. It is possible Franklin and his camp could have negotiated different parameters for an exit.

Franklin was asked if he still wanted to be the head coach at Penn State after the loss to Northwestern, but he didn’t directly address that idea.

“It’s always been about our players, and those guys are hurting right now, and the fans are frustrated. I get it,” he said. “I totally get it. We have great fans here. We get unbelievable support, and I understand their frustration. Trust me. We’re as frustrated as anybody.”

Pressed further on whether being the Penn State head coach remained the best situation for his career, Franklin answered in a way that suggested the writing was on the wall.

“I take full responsibility for what’s happened tonight,” he said. “I take full responsibility for what’s happened this season, and I’m committed to the guys in that locker room.”

Franklin took over at Penn State in 2014 after previous coach Bill O’Brien departed for the NFL. Inheriting a program under NCAA sanctions for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case, Franklin won the 2016 Big Ten Championship in just his third season.

He piloted the Nittany Lions to six double-digit win seasons, five New Year’s Six bowl games and a berth in the first 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, where Penn State lost by just three points to Notre Dame in the national semifinal.

Despite a long history of success, Franklin could never get his team over the hump when it mattered most. He finished 4-21 in games against opponents ranked inside the top 10 nationally and 1-11 against rival Ohio State, the benchmark for top-end success in the conference.

Franklin’s teams were thus best known for winning virtually every game they were supposed to win, and straight losses to UCLA and Northwestern in such a highly anticipated season made the situation untenable.

He finished with a 104-45 as the Penn State head coach, tied for second at the university with Rip Engle.

During this past week, after the UCLA loss, Franklin was asked if he still has faith in reaching his goals at Penn State. He responded with a strong statement.

“I believe in Penn State. I believe in our players. I believe in the men and women in the Lasch Building. And I believe in myself,” he said.

Born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia, Franklin labeled Penn State as his “dream job” at his introductory press conference in 2014.

“I’m excited to come here,” he said then. “I’m a Pennsylvania boy with a Penn State heart.”

Now, Penn State and Franklin will go their separate ways.

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