Will Penn State live to regret firing James Franklin?

James Franklin wasn't on the unemployment line for long. The former Penn State head coach agreed to become the head coach of Virginia Tech on Monday, much to the chagrin of Arkansas fans.

As happy as Penn State fans were to get rid of him, Arkansas fans weren't happy when Franklin rightly chose to be the Virginia Tech head coach. It makes a ton of sense. We outlined the reasons before. Franklin should recruit well in that area; the ACC is there for the taking, and despite all the criticism of his record, Franklin is a consistent winner.

Did James Franklin fail at Penn State?

Outside of his first season at Vanderbilt and the COVID season in 2020, Franklin has never had a losing season. He also never won a national championship, but that leads to a bigger question. Did Franklin fail at Penn State, or were the expectations unrealistic? 

Penn State has all the resources to compete for championships. But Franklin did that. He won a Big Ten title in 2016, reached the conference title game in 2024 and was a play away from making the national championship game last season.

You could spend a long time on Franklin's achievements at Penn State. He won lots of games and some notable bowl games, too. The sentiment that Franklin wouldn't get Penn State over the top is understandable. Michigan and Clemson fans felt the same way until Jim Harbaugh and Dabo Swinney delivered, respectively.

Did Franklin need more time? The new Virginia Tech head coach had plenty. He just didn't win enough when it mattered. The thing is, will the next guy?

Lane Kiffin isn't walking through that door. In fact, when it comes to LSU, Florida and Penn State, the Nittany Lions aren't even a consideration, which tells you something all by itself.

Penn State isn't a top-five job. Heck, it might not even be in the top 10. Just in the Big Ten alone, Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan are better jobs. 

The Nittany Lions have always been behind Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten. And there's a reason Oregon got Dan Lanning, and why he wasn't even on Penn State's list. You'd be a fool to leave Oregon for Penn State. So, a month after firing Franklin, Penn State feels no closer to hiring a head coach. 

Penn State is still searching for its next head coach 

Eli Drinkwitz, the Missouri head coach, has been connected to the Nittany Lions, along with Brian Hartline. Frankly, that might be the best of an uninspiring group. At least it doesn't include Matt Rhule, who re-signed with Nebraska to take his name out of the mix.

Nebraska is a great reference point, though. The Huskers fired Frank Solich and Bo Pelini, each after nine-win seasons. Guess what? Nebraska hasn't sniffed a conference championship since. 

That doesn't mean Penn State will suffer the same fate. However, without a surefire upgrade (there isn't one even in contention for the job), firing Franklin was a risk.

Penn State was a top-10 program. There's no guarantee it will stay there, and if Franklin wins with the Hokies like he has won everywhere else, it's not hard to envision a scenario of regret.