On Saturday, the Penn State Nittany Lions lost at home in their homecoming game against Northwestern in truly shocking fashion. The loss marked the third loss in a row for the Nittany Lions with losses to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern as James Franklin was no longer just losing big games but, the ones that he shouldn't ever lose as well.
Sunday Morning brought an end to the James Franklin era in Happy Valley as the Penn State Nittany Lions coughed up the $49 million to fire their head coach.
The more than $49 million set to be owed by Penn State to James Franklin is the second-biggest buyout in the history of college football. Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher buyout remains the most at more than $76 million.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025
James Franklin's firing changes the entire coaching carousel
The Penn State Nittany Lions' firing of James Franklin is the biggest move of the offseason, as one of the premier programs in the Country is now looking for a new head coach. While several Power 4 jobs are already open, there won't be a bigger job that opens than Penn State unless someone shockingly fires their Head Coach.
Penn State will cast a wide search, and the name they pick to replace James Franklin will be a big name in the sport. It's more likely than not that Penn State will hire an active Head Coach, thus creating another job that needs to be filled, creating a domino effect in the sport.
While Penn State replacing James Franklin is a massive story, James Franklin instantly becomes one of the best names on the market, and if he wants to coach again, he will get a job. Franklin has proven he can build a consistent winner, and when you look at some of the openings, teams would kill for a coach like James Franklin.
This breakup happened in a fashion that no one expected, but it became clear that the two sides were drifting apart. This split may be better for both sides and the next few months now become extremely important for Penn State.