Penn State Makes Major Coaching Shakeup

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — After 11-plus seasons and an underwhelming start to this one, James Franklin is out as Penn State football coach.

The university made the announcement on Sunday, a day after Penn State lost to Northwestern 22-21 to drop its season record to 3-3 and 0-3 in the Big 10 conference. Penn State was a three-touchdown favorite to win the game and was a heavy favorite to win last week when it lost on the road to UCLA.

Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft officially announced the dismissal.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Kraft said in a statement.

“He won a Big Ten Championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.”

Associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Kraft will lead the national search for the next head coach.

Franklin finishes his tenure at Penn State with an overall record of 104-45, tying him for the second-winningest record in the history of the program.

“I am grateful for all that Coach Franklin has done for Penn State football and the University over the past 11-plus years. 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,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi.

“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."

Franklin will be paid quite an amount to not be working for Penn State. He still is owed more than $49 million on his contract.

This likely will be a lost season for Penn State. The team also lost quarterback Drew Allar for the season on Saturday due to injury.