Why did Penn State fire James Franklin? Brutal stretch costs longtime Nittany Lions coach his job

The college football coaching carousel has a new addition, and it's one that was hard to see coming just a few weeks ago.

Penn State fired coach James Franklin in the middle of his 12th season on Sunday, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel, cutting ties with the coach who helped bring stability and sustainable, high-level success back to the program after a scandal. 

Franklin had the Nittany Lions on the doorstep of a trip to the national championship game in January and started this season 3-0, but losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern quickly turned Penn State's season upside down and put the longtime coach out of a job.

MORE: Ranking Penn State's top replacement options for James Franklin

Here's what you need to know about Penn State's decision to fire Franklin.

Why did Penn State fire James Franklin?

Franklin received persistent criticism over the years for struggling to win the "big games," getting the job done against lesser opponents but consistently falling short against the nation's elite teams.

For a long time, Penn State was able to put up with that and take the kind of success that would make the program a perennial playoff team in an expanded College Football Playoff. Over the last two weeks, though, the Nittany Lions shifted from a team that couldn't win big games to a team that couldn't win any games.

Penn State suffered losses to both UCLA and Northwestern despite being favored by more than 20 points in each contest. The embarrassing results came on the heels of a home loss to Oregon in the program's annual "white out" game.

While Franklin is owed $49 million after his firing, Penn State's move signals that the program was not willing to tolerate severe regression after reaching college football's final four last season.

MORE: Breaking down Penn State's 2025 collapse

James Franklin buyout

Franklin is owed a $49 million buyout, the second-largest buyout in college football history behind only the $76 million buyout Jimbo Fisher was owed after his firing at Texas A&M in 2023.

In the eyes of some, Franklin's buyout and track record of dominance outside of big games were enough to at least delay a decision on his future until after the season. Instead, Penn State was willing to swallow the $49 million and make a decision it likely felt was inevitable to get a head start on a coaching search.

Here's a look at the biggest buyouts in college football history:

Jimbo Fisher, $76 million

Texas A&M gave Jimbo Fisher a major contract to leave Florida State after the 2017 season and extended him in 2021, but that extension proved to be ill-fated. Fisher went 11-11 between 2022 and 2023 before he was fired late in the 2023 season, with the Aggies biting the bullet on a colossal $76 million buyout.

James Franklin, $49 million

Penn State made the decision Sunday to fire Franklin despite a $49 million buyout, less than a year after playing in the College Football Playoff semifinals. With a lack of success against elite teams and the program seemingly trending in the wrong direction in 2025, the Nittany Lions absorbed a $49 million buyout.

Gus Malzahn, $21.5 million

Gus Malzahn seemed like he might spend the rest of his career at Auburn after finding instant success and winning three Iron Bowls over Alabama, but the Tigers stagnated in his final years. Auburn decided to move on in December 2020, paying Malzahn $21.5 million.

Charlie Weis, $19 million

Charlie Weis couldn't match the success he found in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, posting a 16-21 record over his final three years and forcing the athletic department's hand after showing no signs of progress in 2009.

Willie Taggart, $18 million

Florida State gave Willie Taggart a sizable contract to pry him away from Oregon after the 2017 season, but he lasted less than two seasons in Tallahassee, going 9-12 before the Seminoles decided there was no path forward with the young coach.

James Franklin record at Penn State

Franklin went 104-45 in nearly 12 seasons at Penn State, winning a Big Ten championship in 2016 and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. 

However, Penn State struggled mightily against elite teams during Franklin's tenure. Franklin was just 4-21 against top-10 teams during his time at Penn State and 1-15 against top-5 teams. He was 1-10 against Ohio State and 3-7 against Michigan.

Penn State missed the four-team College Football Playoff in each of Franklin's first 10 seasons in State College. While expansion to a 12-team format seemingly could have made the Nittany Lions a perennial playoff team, Penn State played its way out of playoff contention this season with losses to UCLA and Northwestern in addition to the Oregon defeat.