Penn State AD discusses decision to fire head football coach James Franklin

Penn State Nittany Lions athletic director Pat Kraft made the decision to hire head football coach James Franklin, and he told reporters Monday that it wasn’t just a three-game losing streak that led to the decision.

Franklin’s departure comes as a shock to college football, as the leader of the locker room since 2014 parted ways with the Nittany Lions, who will pay him a whopping $50 million buyout fee.

Kraft said he was “looking at everything” after Penn State’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday.

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“After sitting down on Saturday and looking at everything, I felt like where we were in terms of the interests of the athletes and where the program was going, I felt like we had to make a tough decision,” Kraft told reporters. Sports Illustrated. “When I looked at where the program was, where it was, and where we wanted to be, I felt there was no other way. I felt it was time.”

This is a Penn State program that was ranked No. 2 in the country before the season began. They were initially 3-0 up but have been in free fall ever since. It came against an unranked Northwestern team when the fans’ chants to fire Franklin roared louder than when Oregon entered Beaver Stadium to hand them their first loss.

PENN STATE FIRES JAMES FRANKLIN AFTER BIG LOSS TO NORTHWEST: REPORT

Kraft and Franklin have a long-standing friendship and professional relationship, making his firing difficult in many ways.

“James Franklin is a good friend who always carries himself with dignity and represents Penn State with absolute class,” Kraft explained. “We have all been fortunate to have James Franklin run this program for over a decade and wish nothing but the best for him and his family.”

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field after a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 11, 2025 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Matthew O’Haren/Imagn Images)

The Nittany Lions will be coached by Terry Smith, Franklin’s assistant coach and named interim head coach.

Franklin took over as Penn State’s head coach ahead of the 2014 season after leading Vanderbilt for three seasons in the same role. He spent his 12th season at Penn State, leading the team to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.

Franklin, the team’s head coach, had it 104-45.

Looking ahead, Penn State will be without quarterback Drew Allar for the remainder of the season due to a leg injury he suffered during the loss against Northwestern. They will play against Iowa next week, but the schedule will get tougher from there.

Penn State Nittany Lions athletic director Patrick Kraft is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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Penn State will see No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 and No. 7 Indiana on Nov. 8, with four or more losses keeping them out of the College Football Playoff this season.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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