penn state Coach James Franklin has been fired after 12 seasons, the school announced Sunday.
Franklin is owed more than $49 million according to his contract. It is the second-largest buyout in college football history behind the $76 million purchase of Jimbo Fisher. Texas A&M,
The school said associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as the Nittany Lions’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season. A source told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that no other personnel changes are expected at Penn State.
Less than a year after appearing in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Franklin’s program reached a new low when the Nittany Lions traveled to Los Angeles two weeks earlier and only lost. UCLAA team that was not only winless, but had not even been able to lead the entire season before.
Crisis flew back to Penn State with the team, bringing with them “Fire Franklin!” chant at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The Nittany Lions lost their second consecutive home game and third overall after falling behind Northwestern 22-21 In front of a stunned crowd in Happy Valley.
With the two losses, 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, according to ESPN Research.
In Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats, the Nittany Lions committed six penalties for 71 yards in the first half alone. They could never get out of their own way, and that was before the quarterback Drew Allar Suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter.
Earlier in the season, when the losing streak began oregon At Happy Valley, Franklin went 4–21 against AP top-10 opponents at Penn State, including 1–18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games.
According to ESPN Research, Franklin’s .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams is tied for the third-worst record (minimum 25 games) by a coach at a single school since the poll era began in 1936.
Hired in 2014 in the wake of Bill O’Brien’s departure for the NFL, Franklin inherited a team that is still feeling the effects of unprecedented NCAA sanctions in the wake of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual-assault crimes.
Equipped with tireless optimism and recruiting ability, Franklin’s program regularly churned out NFL-level talent, ranging from Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons. Franklin led the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten title and a permanent spot in the rankings.
There was hope that this fall could be the season Penn State would finally go on and win its third national championship and first since 1986. Yet after three easy wins during a light non-conference schedule, the Nittany Lions collapsed.
Athletic director Pat Craft said the school was “immensely grateful” to Franklin for bringing the Nittany Lions back to relevance, but he felt it was time to make a change.
“We hold our athletics programs to the highest standards, and we believe this is the right time for new leadership at the helm of our football program to lead us toward the Big Ten and national championships,” Craft said.
The move would hurt Penn State at a time when the athletic department has committed to a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.
Former athletic director Sandy Barbour signed Franklin to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $85 million in 2021. Under the terms of the deal, Penn State must pay Franklin’s $500,000 base salary, $6.5 million in supplemental salary and a $1 million insurance loan through 2031.
It’s a steep price, but it appears to be one the university is willing to pay to find a coach who can complete the climb to a national title.
“We have the best college football fans in America, a rich tradition of excellence, significant investment in our program, compete in the best conference in college sports and we have a state-of-the-art renovated stadium,” Kraft said. “I have full confidence in our future and our ability to attract exceptional candidates to lead our program.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
