Why James Franklin’s firing ‘had to happen’ financially, its impact on recruiting, and more Penn State reactions

On Sunday, James Franklin, the once-heralded savior of the Penn State football program after the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, found himself out of a job.

With a loss Saturday to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions dropped to 3-3 after a 3-0 start to 2025. With the team dropping from No. 2 in the nation to far outside the AP top 25, Penn State resorted to firing its coach because of on-field performance for the first time in over 100 years.

Franklin leaves behind a complicated legacy of both overachievement and underperformance, departing Penn State after 11-plus years of service with 104 wins, tied for second all-time behind only Joe Paterno.

With Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft left to pick up the pieces, there are plenty of questions on how Franklin’s departure will affect Penn State and the college landscape.

» READ MORE: ‘Now is the right time for change.’ Penn State AD says a new coach can bring a national title.

Here’s what the national media is saying after the coach’s unprecedented — and somewhat unexpected — firing.

Getting rid of Franklin will cost Penn State more than $49 million, making this the second-largest buyout in college football history behind the $77 million paid to Jimbo Fisher by Texas A&M in 2023.

This was the third instance of a college football coach being bought out for more than $20 million, according to The Athletic. Auburn bought out coach Gus Malzahn for $21.5 million in 2020.

“The massive buyout figure comes as coaching salaries have skyrocketed in recent years,” Sam Kahn Jr. wrote. “In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the industry saw an increase in fully guaranteed contracts awarded to top coaches with buyouts that crept up into the upper eight figures. Franklin, who went 104-45 in 12 seasons at Penn State, was one of several to receive long contracts with large guarantees and buyouts earlier this decade, along with Fisher, USC’s Lincoln Riley, and LSU’s Brian Kelly, among others.”

Riley, Kelly, and Fisher were signed during the 2021-22 signing window, with each program struggling to justify the money spent by 2025.

» READ MORE: James Franklin’s arrogance always outstripped his accomplishments. That’s why Penn State fired him. | Marcus Hayes

The high payout to Franklin comes as a warning to athletic programs that have been willing to shell out increasingly high guarantees for top-of-the-line coaches in recent years, according to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. If program-defining leaders such as Franklin can end up on the chopping block, anyone can — and it will be costly.

“The new economics of the sport should make contracts of the length and security afforded to Franklin a thing of the past — if presidents and athletic directors have the spine to stand up for fiscal sanity,” Forde wrote. “But whether it came now or in November, the Franklin buyout price tag was going to be the same. As outrageous as it is, this parting had to happen.”

When renegotiating his contract in 2022, Franklin demanded an increase in funding to improve football facilities and staff, most recently signing Jim Knowles for $3 million to be the team’s defensive coordinator.

The increase in finances demanded an assurance of winning, a demand Franklin couldn’t keep up with under new management.

”Penn State is in the middle of a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium that is due to be complete before the 2027 season,” Mark Brennan of 247Sports wrote. “Kraft and company are spending money with the idea of making even more money from the facility, as you can already notice by advertisements that are plastered on every available inch of the building. If the football program is doing anything other than competing for Big Ten and NCAA titles the next few years — leading to a consistently packed stadium — it could be a financial disaster.”

That may not have been the only off-field financial factor at play. According to Front Office Sports, some members of Penn State’s board of trustees are unhappy with the school’s recent decision to switch its sponsorship deal from Nike to Adidas.

“Franklin’s firing coincides with another expensive controversy for PSU off the field,“ David Rumsey wrote. ”Sources recently told Front Office Sports that some members of the school’s board of trustees are outraged by the process behind the decision not to renew its apparel contract with Nike in favor of signing a $300 million deal with Adidas. Those trustees were never shown the full offers from Adidas or Nike — only partial summaries — despite repeated requests, sources said."

Between the stadium renovation and Adidas deal, that’s $1 billion in play.

» READ MORE: Penn State coaching candidates: Four options to replace James Franklin, from Matt Rhule to Fran Brown

Outside of the fiscal aspects, the departure of Franklin leaves uncertainty inside the program, which already has impacted its future.

Penn State saw its entire recruiting class of 2027 reopen the recruiting process following Sunday’s announcement, losing high-profile prospects like No. 1-ranked running back Kemon Spell, among others.

Although many fans cheered the firing of Franklin, some may have overlooked the impact the coach had on player development.

“The Nittany Lions consistently recruited among the top programs in the Big Ten across Franklin’s tenure, topping out with the nation’s No. 4 class in the 2018 cycle, when Penn State signed five-stars Micah Parsons and Justin Shorter,” Eli Lederman of ESPN wrote.

Now, they’re back to square one for 2027.

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