Penn State fires coach James Franklin amid midseason free fall in a lost season
October 12, 2025
James Franklin is out at Penn State. The school fired the longtime head coach on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern. Terry Smith will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. The Nittany Lions began the year with hopes of winning the national title. Those hopes evaporated by early October amid a string of losses. Penn State, which reached the CFP semifinal 10 months ago, lost at home to Oregon in overtime in late September. A road loss at UCLA followed.