Penn State
Penn State Fires Head Coach James Franklin After 3–3 Start to 2025 Season
Mike Lipinski has been covering Philadelphia sports since 2005. Previous stops include Section 247 Sports, My MMA News, and more. He has been a part of the Sports Talk Philly team since 2019. He is the editor of Philadelphia Phillies content, co-editor for college football covering mainly the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and dabbles in all other sports. Follow him on social media channels -Twitter & Threads- @TheMikeLipinski
All posts by Mike LipinskiPublished12 Oct 2025
Penn State University has fired head football coach James Franklin, according to multiple reports from college football insider Pete Thamel and On3 Sports. The move ends a turbulent decade-plus tenure in Happy Valley after a disastrous 3–3 start to the 2025 season.
Franklin, who took over the Nittany Lions in 2014, leaves with a 104–45 record, highlighted by a 2016 Big Ten Championship and several New Year’s Six bowl appearances. But the program had steadily declined in recent years, plagued by offensive inconsistency and mounting pressure from fans and boosters frustrated with the team’s inability to compete with Ohio State and Michigan.
This season’s collapse—punctuated by a three-game losing streak and the season-ending injury to quarterback Drew Allar—appears to have been the final straw. Penn State’s offense sputtered week after week, and with the team sliding out of Big Ten contention by mid-October, the administration decided to act.
Franklin’s dismissal comes with a massive financial cost. Reports indicate Penn State will owe him over $49 million in buyout money, one of the largest in college football history. Assistant head coach Terry Smith is expected to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
For a program that entered the year with College Football Playoff aspirations, Franklin’s firing marks a stunning fall. The next hire will determine whether Penn State can finally return to national prominence—or continue to spiral into mediocrity.
Jame Franklin at Penn State
| Year | School | G | W | L | T | Pct | SRS | SOS | AP Pre | AP High | AP Post | Bowl | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Penn State | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 2.46 | 1.54 | Pinstripe Bowl-W | ||||
| 2015 | Penn State | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 6.46 | 4.77 | TaxSlayer Bowl-L | ||||
| 2016 | Penn State | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 15.72 | 5.44 | 5 | 7 | Rose Bowl-L | ||
| 2017 | Penn State | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 | 21.62 | 6.31 | 6 | 2 | 8 | Fiesta Bowl-W | |
| 2018 | Penn State | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 12.32 | 4.86 | 10 | 8 | 17 | Citrus Bowl-L | |
| 2019 | Penn State | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 | 17.34 | 4.88 | 15 | 5 | 9 | Cotton Bowl-W | |
| 2020 | Penn State | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 4.22 | 3.99 | 7 | 7 | |||
| 2021 | Penn State | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 11.22 | 5.53 | 19 | 4 | Outback Bowl-L | ||
| 2022 | Penn State | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 | 17.56 | 4.02 | 7 | 7 | Rose Bowl-W | ||
| 2023 | Penn State | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 18.23 | 4.08 | 7 | 6 | 13 | Peach Bowl-L | |
| 2024 | Penn State | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 19.60 | 6.91 | 8 | 3 | 5 | College Football Playoff – First Round-W, Fiesta Bowl-W, Orange Bowl-L | |
| 2025 | Penn State | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 3.22 | -5.28 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 12 Yrs | Penn State | 149 | 104 | 45 | 0 | .698 | 12.50 | 3.92 | 6-6 |
