Penn State fires coach James Franklin after 3 straight losses

Penn State fired football coach James Franklin following the team’s third straight loss, the university announced Sunday.

The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten), who were among preseason favorites to contend for a national title, had a disappointing effort in a 30-24 White Out loss to Oregon, then dropped a 42-37 decision at winless UCLA before Saturday’s shocking 22-21 homecoming loss to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium, when quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury.

Associate head coach Terry Smith, a former Gateway football coach and athletic director who played wide receiver at Penn State and has spent the past 12 seasons on Franklin’s staff, will serve as interim head coach.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick 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.”

Franklin, 53, had a record of 104-45 over 11-plus years in University Park, tying him as the second-winningest coach (Rip Engle) in the history of Penn State football, behind only Joe Paterno (409). He was highly criticized, however, for his 4-21 record against top 10 opponents. That included a 1-11 mark against rival Ohio State.

Last season, Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they lost to Notre Dame.

Franklin is owed nearly $50 million as part of a contract buyout. Former athletic director Sandy Barbour signed Franklin to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $85 million in 2021. According to terms of the deal, Penn State will have to pay Franklin’s base salary of $500,000, supplemental pay of $6.5 million and insurance loan of $1 million until 2031.

Hired in 2014 in the wake of Bill O’Brien’s departure for the NFL, Franklin inherited a team still feeling the effects of unprecedented NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Armed with relentless optimism and an ability to recruit, Franklin’s program regularly churned out NFL-level talent, from Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons. In all, Franklin coached 18 All-American selections, 32 national major award winners or finalists and 59 NFL Draft picks at Penn State.

Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten title and a seemingly permanent spot in the rankings.

There was hope this fall might be the one when Penn State would finally break through and win its third national championship and first since 1986. Yet after three easy wins during a light nonconference schedule, the Nittany Lions crumbled.

“I am grateful for all that Coach Franklin has done for Penn State football and the University over the past 11-plus years. We thank him for his dedication, and we extend our best wishes to him and his family as they move forward into their next chapter,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said in a statement. “Our commitment to excellence extends across every facet of our institution, including athletics, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to this exciting new chapter for the Nittany Lions as we continue to build on that standard.”

Kraft will lead a national search for a new head coach, the university said.

“Penn State football is an integral part of our university and is an important part of the lives of our millions of fans, community members and alumni around the world,” Kraft said. “We have the best college football fans in America, a rich tradition of excellence, significant investments in our program, compete in the best conference in college sports and have a state-of-the-art renovated stadium on the horizon. I am confident in our future and in our ability to attract elite candidates to lead our program.”

Smith now will be tasked with trying to stop the bleeding on what has become a disastrous season. He will have his work cut out for him: Penn State’s next three games are at Iowa on Saturday, at No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 and home against No. 3 Indiana on Nov. 8.

The matchups with the Buckeyes and Hoosiers were expected to be a chance for the Nittany Lions to bolster their CFP credentials. In the span of a handful of weeks, Penn State will instead find itself in the role of spoiler.

The Associated Press contributed.