Here’s where Penn State’s massive buyout of James Franklin ranks among all-time college football firings

Penn State is paying James Franklin a whole heck of a lot of money in the buyout of his contract after firing him Sunday.

But it’s not particularly close to being the most expensive firing in college football history.

Penn State owes Franklin at least $49.7 million moving forward, according to Front Office Sports.

Franklin signed a 10-year contract extension in 2021, and according to the terms released at that time, he was set to earn another $56 million in base salary between 2025 and the deal’s end in 2031.

That number ranks second among the largest buyouts for college head coaches.

Florida State fired former coach Jimbo Fisher in 2023, triggering an unfathomable $76 million buyout.

Franklin’s post-departure payday, though, is also a far cry from the third-largest buyout in college history.

Auburn’s separation from Gus Malzahn after the 2020 season cost the Tigers $21.7 million. It held the No. 2 spot behind Fisher for years before Penn State made this choice.

As recently as 2023, according to 247Sports, no other firing resulted in a buyout larger than $20 million. Notre Dame owed former coach Charlie Weis $19 million after firing him. That was the largest recorded buyout before Malzahn’s in 2020.

Penn State will now begin a “national search” led by athletic director Pat Kraft to find Franklin’s replacement, according to a news release Sunday.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Kraft said in a statement. “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.”