“I want to share with you directly that we have made a change in the leadership of our football program as Coach Franklin will no longer be the head football coach.” That’s what Penn State Athletic Director Pat Craft wrote in an e-mail to former Penn State football players yesterday before releasing the news to the public.
Penn State has lost three straight games after opening the season as the number two team in the country, and a number of recruits have de-committed from both the 2026 and 2027 class, including Kemon Spell, the McKeesport running back who scored six touchdowns against Mars last Friday and will play against Indiana at Andy Kuzneski Field this Friday. He is rated as ESPN’s number one running back in the nation in the 2027 recruiting class.
Penn State owes Franklin $49 million on his contract buyout, although there are some mitigations that could slightly reduce that figure.
Under Franklin, the Nittany Lions were 104-45 overall, but were only 4-21 against Top Ten opponents.
Former Gateway High School coach Terry Smith, who has been at Penns State for the last twelve years, is the interim coach. Early speculation on the next head coach for Penn State has included Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, a former Penn State player; Iowa State coach Matt Campbell; and Curt Cignetti, the Indiana coach who started his coaching career at IUP and has also led James Madison and Elon. Indiana is 6-0 and ranked number three in the nation in the new AP poll.
