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jake trotter
James Franklin says he “can’t wait” to coach again. penn state fire him last weekend.
“I don’t know anything else,” Franklin said Saturday during ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t have any hobbies. I don’t play golf. I don’t fish. It’s been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it.”
On Sunday, Penn State let Franklin go after the Nittany Lions’ 0-3 start in Big Ten play.
Following a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance the previous year, the team began the year ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. But it lost in double overtime at home. oregon On September 27, Franklin went 4–21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1–18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games.
Then, with the losses UCLA And NorthwesternAccording to ESPN Research, Penn State became the first team since the split of FBS and FCS in 1978 to lose consecutive games while scoring 20 or more points in each game.
Before a team meeting Sunday afternoon, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft told Franklin he was being fired.
“I was shocked,” Franklin admitted. “I’m still working on it myself. It feels surreal.”
Franklin won 104 games and had double-digit wins six times in 11 seasons at Penn State, including the last three.
“I did very well there,” he said. “Penn State was a good fit for me and my family.”
Franklin said Penn State’s expectations skyrocketed during his tenure, especially last offseason. In turn, when it became clear that the Nittany Lions would not meet him this season, he was dismissed.
“We created that pressure,” he said. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of.”
The 53-year-old Franklin is still owed $49 million on his buyout, the second-largest payout in college football history. He said he now hopes to accomplish what he couldn’t at Penn State.
“I thought we were going to win a national championship out there,” he said. “We were close. That goal hasn’t changed. We’re going to win a national championship somewhere else now.”
