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‘It was time’: Penn State players and fans react to James Franklin’s firing

Franklin entered the season with national championship expectations after bringing the Nittany Lions back to relevance.

James Franklin has been fired after three consecutive losses ended Penn State's national title hopes.
James Franklin has been fired after three consecutive losses ended Penn State's national title hopes.Read moreMatthew O'Haren, Matthew O'Haren
    by Gabriela Carroll
    Updated 
    Published 

After nearly 12 seasons and two disastrous losses, the James Franklin era is officially over at Penn State.

Franklin entered the season with national championship expectations after bringing the Nittany Lions back to relevance. He won the 2016 Big Ten Championship and was one game away from the national title game less than 12 months ago.

In college football, things change fast. Leading into the White Out game against Oregon, expectations had never been higher for Franklin and Penn State. Finally, everything was set up for him to secure a big win.

Less than three weeks later, it’s over.

A few Penn State players took to social media on Sunday after news of Franklin’s firing, including Drew Allar, Micah Parsons, and Trace McSorley.

For most fans, despite the positive memories from much of Franklin’s tenure, the team plateaued, and it was time for a separation.

Of course, plenty of people made jokes about Franklin’s hefty $50 million buyout, the second-largest ever for a college football coach, behind that of former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher.