Penn State fired James Franklin as its head football coach Sunday following back-to-back losses to heavy underdogs UCLA and Northwestern.
Director of athletics Pat Kraft emailed Nittany Lions lettermen to inform them of the decision. Penn State later issued a news release.
“We have made a change in the leadership of our football program as Coach Franklin will no longer serve as the head football coach,” Kraft wrote. “This decision did not come lightly. I have tremendous respect for James and the deep commitment and effort he and his staff have shown our student-athletes and our great university.
“However, after careful evaluation of the program’s trajectory and performance, I believe new leadership is necessary to position Penn State football for long-term success,” he wrote.
Associate head coach and former Penn State wide receiver Terry Smith, the longest-tenured staff member, was named interim coach for the rest of the season.
The 53-year-old Franklin, who was in his 12th season at Penn State, posted a 104-45 record and led the Nittany Lions to six 10-win seasons in the last nine years, seven New Year’s Six bowl games and four wins in those games and their first College Football Playoff appearance.
But he had a 5-21 record against top 10 opponents, including eight consecutive losses to Ohio State.
“My priority is finding a leader who embodies Penn State’s core values,” Kraft wrote, “will develop our student-athletes on and off the field and will unite our community in pursuit of championships.”
During his time at Penn State, Franklin coached 18 All-Americans, 32 national major award winners or finalists, and 59 NFL draft picks, including eight first-round selections.
“I am grateful for all that Coach Franklin has done for Penn State football and the university over the past 11-plus years,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said. “We thank him for his dedication, and we extend our best wishes to him and his family as they move forward into their next chapter.
“Our commitment to excellence extends across every facet of our institution, including athletics, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to this exciting new chapter for the Nittany Lions as we continue to build on that standard,” she said.
Penn State hired Franklin in January 2014 to replace Bill O’Brien, who resigned after two seasons with the Lions to become head coach of the Houston Texans.
Franklin enjoyed success in three seasons at Vanderbilt before leaving the Commodores for Penn State, which was in the throes of massive NCAA sanctions levied in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Franklin guided the Lions to back-to-back 7-6 seasons and appearances in the Pinstripe Bowl and Gator Bowl.
They began the 2016 season 2-2 after a lopsided loss to Michigan and trailed Minnesota at halftime the following week at Beaver Stadium. Some in the student section chanted, “Fire Franklin!” as the Lions headed to the locker room.
They rallied that afternoon and beat the Gophers on Saquon Barkley’s touchdown run in overtime, igniting a nine-game winning streak that included comeback victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin, in the Big Ten championship game.
Penn State went 11-2 the following season, dropping consecutive games to Ohio State and Michigan State before beating Washington in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Lions went 9-4 in 2018, losing to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl, and went 11-2 again the next year with a victory over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl.
Penn State lost its first five games in 2020 after losing linebacker Micah Parsons, who opted out, and running back Journey Brown, who was diagnosed with a career-ending medical condition. They rebounded to win their final four games.
The Lions struggled again in 2021, losing a record-setting nine-overtime game to Illinois and then to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl to finish 7-6.
Penn State then went 11-2, 10-3 and 13-3 from 2022-24, the most successful three-year stretch in school history. It included a Rose Bowl win over Utah in 2022 and a Peach Bowl loss to Mississippi in 2023. Last year, the Lions went 11-1 in the regular season, lost to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, beat SMU and Boise State in their first CFP appearance and fell to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, a semifinal.
Penn State began this season with high hopes after luring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from national champion Ohio State and having several members of its highly rated 2022 class return for another title run.
The Lions began the season ranked second in The Associated Press poll and won their first three games before falling to Oregon in double overtime and then losing to heavy underdogs UCLA and Northwestern.
To make matters worse, quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury late in the 22-21 loss to Northwestern.
Source: Berkshire mont
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