Former Penn State head coach James Franklin made his first public appearance since his dismissal on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday during the show’s final hour from the University of Georgia campus.
Franklin was fired just a day after Penn State’s third consecutive loss, which was a 22-21 home defeat to Northwestern. He took questions from the entire GameDay panel about how the firing went down and what's next for him?
Here's the full transcript from Franklin's interview with Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, and Pat McAfee.
“We’re just going to go win the national championship somewhere else now.”
— ESPN (@espn) October 18, 2025
The goal hasn't changed for James Franklin 👀 pic.twitter.com/RUzsBPDK4y
Opening statement with how it went down at Penn State
Davis: We are pleased and really admire the fact that James Franklin is willing to come here and talk to us about things that I'm sure seem quite surreal to you. James, as you've gone through the last few days, how did you become aware at first and find out the news that Penn State wanted to move on and impart ways with you?
Franklin: Yeah, well we were a practice Sunday team, coach. And we have a team meeting at 1:45. About 1:30, the AD walked in and said we're going to make a change. I'm sorry... Was in shock obviously. Really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn't find out on the Internet and then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. And really...That was it. It was that quick. Obviously pretty much in shock as that was going on.
Davis: I mean given all of the things that you accomplished there and the number of games that you won, how fairly do you feel you were treated by making this decision?
Franklin: Well, fair is not for me to decide, right. That's for other people to decide. A decision that was made that was hard for me to comprehend at the time. But what I want to do is I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there.12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family.
Most importantly, it's about the players. I'm a players coach, I always have been. So that's the hardest part is walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us. A lot of tough conversations. So that's the challenge. It's the people at the end of the day, the coaches, the staffs, their families, the kids. What I don't think people realize is how many people this affects. A ton of people. So, that's where my heart breaks.
The affect on Franklin's family and the Penn State community
Howard: Coach, thank you for doing this. It speaks volumes about who you are as a man. So thank you for coming up here and doing this. When a coach gets fired, it touches a lot of people. Like you said, the coach, his staff, and, of course, the players. Would you mind speaking on how this has affected your family?
Franklin: Yeah. So, you know, my daughters, you guys have seen pictures. They came to Penn State when they were 4-and-5 years-old. We were blessed that the majority of their upbringing was in State College. They're now a freshman in college and a senior in high school. My youngest thought she was going to go to Penn State. Obviously, the plans have changed there, but. But for me, I just.I think about everybody. I remember being the head coach of Vanderbilt and having an Easter party and standing up there and talking to all the coaches and the wives and the kids.
And the first time, that moment I looked out and I realized I'm responsible for all these people. If I'm successful, all these people will flourish, and if I'm not, it's going to create a lot of challenges for a ton of different people. So that's really what the last six days have been. Most importantly, comforting my daughter. My wife is the toughest one in the family, so I don't need to worry about her.
But then it's been a ton of players reaching out, talking to their parents, telling them to take a deep breath, everything's going to be fine. And then the same thing with recruits. It's been a lot, but most importantly, that's what it's all about for me. I got into this business to help people and most importantly, young men, and I'm going to continue to do that.
One game away from keeping it together in Happy Valley
Herbstreit: Coach, I think on the outside, we all. Reese just showed last. Last year here, Miami in a semifinal this year, preseason high expectations. You're playing Oregon just a couple of weeks ago in double overtime. You win that game, you're probably still getting ready to coach. And how did this happen? You've probably had a lot of time to reflect. How did we get here so quickly?
Franklin: Yeah, I can't answer that. To be honest with you, I'm still working through it myself. It feels. Feels surreal. I just got a message from Drew Allar's dad, that he's sitting home as well. We both should be in Iowa. It's what we're used to doing and how we operate. And I've been doing this for 30 years and 15 years as a head coach. To think essentially six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two minute drive away.
So that's the thing. I really can't answer that, Kirk. 12 years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins. But decisions were made, and I'm not involved in those decisions. I'm very, very grateful for the time I had it. Most importantly for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win a national championship there. We were close. That goal hasn't changed. We're just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now. Right?
Herbstreit: Hell yeah.
Coach-to coach with a GOAT speaking up for Franklin
Saban: You know, you made the statement, it's not like up to you to decide what's fair or unfair. When Reese answered that question, I'm going to answer it. It's unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose bowl, the Fiesta bowl, get in the Final Four, come out being ranked number one this year. An expectation that you created by what you accomplished at Penn State. And for those people not to show enough appreciation for that and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I'm saying it's unfair.
But I will ask you this, because this is one thing that I hated was we were ranked number one going into preseason several times. And I hated that. Absolutely hated it. Because you didn't know how it was going to affect your team. Yep. So being number one out of the box this year, do you think that affected the way your team sort of, you know, prepared to start the season?
Franklin: Yeah. Well, I think, Coach, you understand this better than anybody, Right? You've used the phrase rat poison.The negative rat poison that you got to get everybody to tune out. And the positive is rat poison. But that creates a ton of pressure and pressure that we've earned. We created that pressure. And I think that's the thing that I'm most proud of.
The point that you said, when I took over the program 12 years ago, it was in a very different situation than it is now. And that's something I take great pride in, right. The program was in a very, very difficult position. One of the most historical sanctions in NCAA history, and we got him back to be a consistent contender. So you understand how hard that is and the work that went into it, but the expectations we created them. So I take pride in that. Obviously we got to do a better job of tuning all that noise out and focus on being 1-0, and the task at hand. But that's challenging. As you know, coach, we've talked about that a bunch.
What comes next from Franklin in his career and life?
McAfee: As a person that's around more than a handful of the Penn State, they will thank you in time for what you did at Penn State. So you need to know that as well. They are going to be very grateful for everything you did up there. Because you're talking about the time you took it over to what it is now. You've obviously done an incredible job up there.There's a lot of great things happening in State College because of the work that you did. You've alluded to it a couple different times. Now we're just going to go for this national championship elsewhere and everything. When does that start? How does that start? Immediately upon the decision getting made. Do you say, I'm a football guy, I'm coaching still, or how do you kind of get to that point on what is next?
Franklin: Yeah, I think that's a great question. To be honest with you. The first thing was like I needed to take a deep breath. I need to make sure the people that are around me are in a good place. But after that, I don't know anything else. I've been doing this for 30 years. I don't have hobbies, I don't golf, I don't fish. This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it. So I think it was take a deep breath, kind of in shock, surreal for a moment and then it's, hey, we gotta to get back to doing what we do which is help young people achieve their dreams, get a great education, still balance what college football has become, the student-athlete experience and big time business.
But there's a way to do that and I can't wait for that next challenge and we're going to go win a national championship at the highest level.
McAfee: This is awesome. You did this. Thank you for doing this. Thank you so much.
Why Franklin was let go by Penn State?
Davis: James, as you look at this now, when this next challenge comes, when Penn State made the decision, they cited the top 10 record. We showed it. You and I have talked about it before. You've handled it and faced it head on. As you evaluate the next step, will you change anything about the approach and the way you go at these "big games" that created a lot of the negativity around your program at Penn State?
Franklin: Yeah, I think to Nick's point, there's things that I know we did as well as anybody in the country. But every offseason you gotta to take time. And after what just happened, we're going to do that even more. So I'm going to do that even more so. How can we take advantage of these situations? How can we maximize opportunities? How can we make the fan base, the alumni, the lettermen super proud of what we're doing, but also the other thing that I want to make sure I hit on, that we did it with integrity in class the entire time. And that's not something that's happening universally around the country.
Saban: If history is the best indicator of what the future is going to bring, you're going to do well wherever you go.
Franklin: Thanks.
Davis: I have a feeling if he wants to coach, it won't take long.
McAfee: If you need any of my fired coaches vitamins, I got that. I'm carrying around right now.
Davis: James Franklin, very gracious of you to come and join us, James. Really appreciate it. There is James Franklin. I'm sure he will be perhaps the most coveted commodity out there in this coaching carousel.
Franklin looks forward to winning with another program
Franklin, the 12-year head coach, led the Nittany Lions to a 104-45 overall record, including their first-ever College Football Playoff berth last season. However, a 4-21 mark against Top-10 opponents and a 1-10 record against Ohio State proved damning for Franklin’s long-term tenure in Happy Valley. His buyout, estimated at $49 million, is among the largest in college football history.
Franklin had long emphasized building a family atmosphere at Penn State, helping develop NFL talent and secure double-digit win seasons. Yet his inability to consistently beat top-tier programs ultimately cost him his position. The final blow came in Week 7, when the then-No. 2 Nittany Lions lost at home to unranked Northwestern and also lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury.
That loss followed an overtime home defeat to Oregon and a stunning road loss at previously winless UCLA. Penn State, once a national title contender, is now 3-3 and winless in Big Ten play.
Terry Smith has been named interim head coach as the program looks to stabilize for the remainder of the season.
More Penn State news after James Franklin's firing
- 3 takeaways about James Franklin’s College Gameday interview
- ESPN's Ryan Clark gives James Franklin career advice after Penn State firing
- Penn State loses much more than $49 million in James Franklin firing
- Was Adidas behind James Franklin's firing? Penn State breaks silence on rumor
- James Franklin set to receive major buyout from Penn State