It's a vulnerable time to be Penn State football without any indication of who its next head coach is. While the 2025 roster came together under interim head coach Terry Smith, the players aren't forgetting their former head coach and everything James Franklin did for the program. Especially during a time of uncertainty and worry, it's hard not to think if firing Franklin was really the best move.
It's time for Penn State to regret the James Franklin firing
For senior quarterback Drew Allar, it was never a question if keeping Franklin was the Nittany Lions' best option.
On Tuesday night in the midst of more coaches brushing past Penn State's open job, Allar posted an Instagram story of himself and Franklin the locker room surrounded by other players. Playing in the background is Janet Jackson's "Got 'Til It's Gone."
"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone," was the repeating lyric Allar chose for the post.
Drew Allar just posted this photo with James Franklin on his Instagram with the song “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” by Janet Jackson.
— Lexie Linderman (@lexielinderman) December 2, 2025
The lyrics: “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone” pic.twitter.com/ZHRLuo5RJO
The head coach search has been nothing short of disaster for the Nittany Lions. The future is completely uncertain, and only a few good names are still left on the board, but even those are potential swings and misses. Since they fired Franklin, he remained their best available option up until Virginia Tech hired him in November.
After he was fired, the players took accountability and said they wanted to win to honor everything Franklin put into the program. They posted on social media, making their appreciation, respect, and love for their former coach well-known to the public. Many thought it was unfair the way Franklin went out, including former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Allar also sustained a disappointing and heartbreaking end to his season, breaking his ankle against Northwestern. The day after, Franklin got the boot from Happy Valley. It was a weird time for both of them, especially after Franklin was the one helping build Allar's collegiate career — even if he wasted his potential. Through that time, both of them remained there for each other, and it's not shocking to see Allar back his former head coach from the moment he was fired through the present day.
Franklin built the program up to his ceiling, and it's not a problem for Penn State to want more moving forward. However, in 2025 at least, Franklin was the best it was going to get, no matter how disappointing it was.