James Franklin makes 'emotional' confession after Penn State firing

Just six days after his controversial firing, former Penn State coach James Franklin joined College GameDay for a brief interview to discuss the situation. For anyone who wonders how exactly these situations are handled, Franklin's blow-by-blow account gives an insight into a very stark and speedy process.

Franklin's firing

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. That was it. It was that quick. Obviously, pretty much in shock as that was going on.James Franklin

The speed at which Franklin's termination was handled somewhat mirrors the speed of his decline. Penn State was a pre-season national No. 2 in the AP poll and rolled to an easy 3-0 start and was still ranked No. 3 at that time. But a trio of losses, first a heartbreaking double-overtime set back against then-No. 6 Oregon on September 27th and then as a massive favorite at UCLA on October 4th and at home against Northwestern on October 11th, finished the Franklin era.

On September 26th, James Franklin coached the No. 3 team in the nation. On October 12th, he was fired.

Franklin's history

This is not to glaze over some overall discontent with the Franklin era. He was 104-45 as Penn State's head coach, but the 104 wins included a solitary Big Ten title, in 2016, and no advance beyond the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024. Still, in his 12th season at Penn State, Franklin had finished with five top ten teams and had posted six double-digit win seasons. For a program still looking to regain its footing after the Jerry Sandusky fiasco and the premature end to the Joe Paterno era, those accomplishments are not insignificant.

Before coming to Penn State, Franklin rose to prominence at Vanderbilt, going 24-15 over three seasons that saw the Commodores rise from SEC laughing stock to back-to-back nine win, top 25 seasons.

Franklin's buyout has been reported at between $48 and $57 million. He does not figure to remain unemployed for long as his name is already being linked with a multitude of open or likely open jobs.