Following the Penn State Nittany Lions football team’s third-straight loss, with a 22-21 loss to Northwestern yesterday, the team made the decision to fire head coach James Franklin.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news Sunday afternoon.
Sources: Penn State has fired James Franklin.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025
Franklin began his tenure as the Nittany Lions’ head coach in 2014. During his time with Penn State, he compiled a 104-45 overall record. In his 12 seasons as Penn State’s head coach, Franklin has only had one losing team.
Penn State has won 10+ games in each of the last three seasons and looked to become championship contenders this season. But with a 3-3 start and losing three in a row, those dreams have vanished, with the team making a big decision for its future.
James Franklin Buyout Amount
Despite moving on from James Franklin, it came at a cost for Penn State. Due to his contract, the two agreed to a $50 million buyout, per sources.
$50M buyout. So at least there is that. https://t.co/7kwA1UoH2N
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2025
Franklin signed a 10-year extension in November 2021 through the 2031 season. Penn State will now began the tough task of searching for Franklin’s replacement.
Top 3 Potential James Franklin Replacements
As mentioned, Penn State now has the difficult task of finding James Franklin‘s replacement.
Here are three coaches Penn State could target to be their next head coach:
Matt Rhule
Matt Rhule was Nittany Lion, as he played for Penn State’s football team from 1994-1997. He even went to high school in the area.
Rhule has been a football head coach for the past 12 years at the college and NFL levels, and could be a good fit as he’s familiar with the culture at Penn State.
Curt Cignetti
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti could be a hot candidate to replace Franklin. What he’s been doing with Indiana the last two seasons has been phenomenal.
In his first season as the Hoosiers’ head coach, he led them to the College Football Playoffs and finished the season with an 11-2 record. So far this season, they are 6-0, coming off of a big win against No. 3 Oregon.
Terry Smith
There is a good chance that Penn State makes an in-house hire. Terry Smith would be a good choice.
Smith is set to be the team’s interim head coach, and if he can flip their season around, then maybe the team will give him a shot of becoming its next head coach.
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