The winds of change have swept through Happy Valley, and Penn State football finds itself at a crossroads after the university made the seismic decision to part ways with longtime head coach James Franklin. The move, announced on Sunday, October 12, 2025, comes on the heels of a stunning three-game slide that has left fans, alumni, and college football watchers across the nation reeling. Just two months ago, the Nittany Lions were basking in the glow of a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25, brimming with expectations of another run at the College Football Playoff. Now, with a 3-3 record and an 0-3 mark in Big Ten play, the program’s trajectory has changed dramatically—and the search for new leadership is officially underway.
The final straw for Franklin’s tenure came on October 11, when Penn State, a three-touchdown favorite, suffered a shocking 22-21 home defeat to Northwestern. The upset not only marked Northwestern’s first win at Beaver Stadium since 2014—Franklin’s inaugural year—but also dropped the Nittany Lions to a winless record in conference play. The loss was compounded by a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Drew Allar, a blow that left the offense reeling and the fanbase in disbelief. According to Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft, “Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power. He won a Big Ten Championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.”
Associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season. Smith, a respected figure within the program, faces the daunting task of steadying a ship that has been rocked by a series of unexpected and, frankly, unfathomable setbacks. The Nittany Lions’ season began with promise, as the team rolled to a 3-0 start against non-conference opponents, fueled by the veteran leadership of Allar and the dynamic running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. But the optimism quickly faded as Penn State’s Big Ten campaign began to unravel in dramatic fashion.
The collapse began on September 27, when Penn State stormed back from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against No. 6 Oregon. Hopes were high, but the Ducks capitalized on their possessions, and Allar’s interception in the second overtime sealed the Nittany Lions’ first loss of the season. The defeat also extended Franklin’s losing streak against AP top-six teams to a staggering 15 straight games—a statistic that would haunt his tenure. As if that wasn’t enough, the following week delivered an even more jarring result: a road trip to face an 0-4 UCLA team under an interim coach and a new offensive coordinator, Jerry Neuheisel. UCLA, winless and written off by most, raced to a 30-7 lead before Penn State mounted a late rally that ultimately fell short. The Nittany Lions became the first AP top-10 team to lose to an 0-4 opponent since 1985, when BYU suffered a similar fate.
By the time Northwestern rolled into Beaver Stadium, the pressure was mounting. The Wildcats, who had lost 23-3 to Tulane in their season opener, managed to eke out a one-point victory that sent shockwaves through the college football landscape. The defeat not only ended Penn State’s hopes of a Big Ten title but also effectively dashed any lingering dreams of a return to the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions’ 3-3 record is now the worst six-game start for a preseason AP top-two team since Oklahoma in 1964—a historical footnote that underscores the magnitude of this season’s disappointment.
Franklin’s legacy at Penn State is a complicated one. Hired in 2014 after a successful stint at Vanderbilt, he quickly revitalized the program, leading the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten Championship in 2016 and a total of seven New Year’s Six bowl games. The crowning achievement came just last year, when Penn State made its first College Football Playoff appearance, falling in the semifinals to Notre Dame. Over his 12 seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin amassed a 104-45 overall record, including a 64-36 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions reached double-digit wins in six of those campaigns, including three straight from 2022 to 2024, and made two appearances in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Yet, for all the success, Franklin’s teams consistently faltered on the biggest stages. His record against top-tier opponents is, frankly, hard to ignore: 1-15 against top-5 teams, 4-21 against top-10 teams, and 15-31 against top-25 teams. Against Big Ten powerhouses Michigan and Ohio State, Franklin’s squads went just 4-17—and an even more sobering 1-13 when those teams were ranked. These struggles in marquee matchups fueled growing discontent among fans and administrators alike, and ultimately proved to be Franklin’s undoing.
Adding another wrinkle to the story is the financial aspect of Franklin’s departure. His most recent contract extension, signed through 2031, paid him around $8 million annually and included a $500,000 retention bonus each year. With his firing, Penn State is on the hook for roughly $50 million in buyout money—a sum that ranks as the second-largest in college football history, trailing only the $76 million owed by Texas A&M to Jimbo Fisher. It’s a hefty price for a program eager to turn the page and restore its place among the sport’s elite.
As the dust settles, attention naturally turns to what comes next. Terry Smith’s interim appointment offers a measure of continuity, but the search for a permanent head coach will be one of the most closely watched storylines in college football over the coming months. Names like Matt Rhule and Curt Cignetti have already surfaced as potential candidates, and the Penn State faithful are anxious to see who will be tasked with leading the Nittany Lions back to national prominence.
For now, the team must regroup and refocus under Smith’s guidance, with the remainder of the 2025 season serving as both a test of resilience and an audition for the future. The road ahead won’t be easy, but if there’s one thing college football teaches us, it’s that redemption can arrive when you least expect it. As Penn State looks to the horizon, the echoes of this tumultuous season will serve as both a cautionary tale and a source of motivation for the next chapter in Nittany Lions history.
