Penn State has remained in the national spotlight for much of the season, first for its preseason national championship hype, then for its epic collapse which results in the firing of head coach James Franklin.
For the first time since the move was officially announced on Sunday, Franklin spoke publicly on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay in Athens, Georgia.
Franklin said athletic director Pat Kraft informed him of the decision at 1:30 p.m., giving him 15 minutes to inform his family so they could hear it from him first. Then, he held the team’s weekly Sunday meeting for the last time.
“I was in shock,” Franklin said. “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. It really, that was it. It was that quick. Obviously, pretty much in shock as that was going on.”
Franklin spoke about the last six days for him, which have involved comforting his two daughters and communicating with current and former players, recruits, their parents and others. He emphasized his role as a player’s coach and his focus on developing players on and off the field. He said he’s been in touch with quarterback Drew Allar’s father, who said both Allar and Franklin should’ve been traveling to Iowa together for Saturday’s game.
Franklin described the situation as “surreal” multiple times but said he wanted to focus on the bright spots of his tenure in Happy Valley.
“What I want to do is I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments,” Franklin said. “I had a great run there, 12 years, Penn State was good to my family … The hardest part is walking away from all those young men in that locker room, the recruits that were committed to us.”
Franklin reiterated that he didn’t understand the move, and former Alabama head coach and GameDay host Nick Saban called it “unfair as hell,” pointing to Franklin’s previous successes at Penn State.
The hosts referenced the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten championship in 2016, Rose Bowl win in 2022 and College Football Playoff semifinal appearance last year. They failed to mention his 4-21 record against top-10 teams at Penn State or back-to-back losses as a 20-plus point favorite in the preceding weeks.
When host Kirk Herbstreit asked Franklin why he thought the university chose to move on, he said “I really can’t answer that.”
“Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins,” Franklin said. “But decisions were made, and I’m not involved in those decisions. I’m very, very grateful for the time I had, and, most importantly, for the relationships I was able to build.”
Franklin seemed to indicate a willingness to return to coaching quickly, saying he “doesn’t have hobbies.” His contract with Penn State includes a “duty to mitigate” clause, which requires him to seek employment, with his new salary being deducted from what the school owes him from his roughly $50 million buyout.
All signs point to Franklin landing another head coaching gig this offseason, and his goal remains the same.
“I thought we were going to win a national championship (at Penn State),” Franklin said. “We were close. That goal hasn’t changed, we’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now.”
