Penn State University have fired head coach James Franklin, according to reports.
The decision comes amid a horrific start to the college football season for the Nittany Lions, who have lost all three of their Big Ten games so far.
Their most recent defeat saw them fall to a 22-21 defeat against Northwestern on Saturday evening, where fans were heard booing coach Franklin after the game.
That disappointing result came after consecutive defeats in the weeks prior, having also lost to UCLA and Oregon – despite being overwhelming favorites.
According to ESPN analysts, Franklin became the first coach in 30 years to lose consecutive games despite being a 20-point favorite pregame.
It marks a dramatic fall-off from last season, having previously reached the College Football Playoffs and, as a result, were ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 this year.
Penn State University have fired head coach James Franklin, according to reports
The Nittany Lions have struggled during the 2025 season and have a 3-3 record thus far
It’s widely reported that Franklin has a $57 million buyout in his contract, which Penn State would have had to pay in order to part ways with the head coach.
Franklin had been in Happy Valley since 2014 but only delivered one Big Ten title. Overall, he had a 104-45 record at Penn State, going 64-36 in Big Ten play.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who broke the news of Franklin’s firing, also revealed that Terry Smith will take over on an interim basis.
Smith had been a long serving assistant manager for the Nittany Lions and had been by Franklin’s side throughout his tenure at Penn State.
It’s proved to be a nightmare season for the Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an injury on Saturday.
The QB took a big hit, after being sandwiched between two tacklers, before receiving medical treatment and then later being carted to the locker room.
After the game, Penn State head coach Franklin confirmed that the injury was serious and that Allar would not feature for the team again this season.
With that, it means that Allar’s college football career will come to an immediate end, given that he is a senior and out of eligibility beyond the current season.
Overall, he had a 104-45 record at Penn State, going 64-36 in Big Ten play
With that in mind, it serves as a major setback for Allar ahead of the NFL Draft that is set to take place in roughly six months time.
In the five games prior to his injury, Allar threw for 963 passing yards, eight touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Meanwhile, against Northwestern, Allar completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts for 137 yards and one interception. He recorded 25 yards and one touchdown himself.
With Allar now set for a spell on the sidelines, redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer will likely take his place moving forwards.
