It just doesn't feel like there's any way back for head coach James Franklin with Penn State football. Following the loss at home to Oregon, people were livid with him, as he once again couldn't win the 'big' game. Then, all hell broke loose after the program was embarrassed by UCLA.
Then on Saturday, proverbial rock bottom arrived for the Nittany Lions, with Penn State losing to Northwestern at home. There are no excuses for Franklin and the calls for him to get fired are only getting louder.
According to Pete Nakos, there are 'legitimate' talks going down this weekend in regards to Franklin's future with the team. This tells us that the higher ups don't think that Franklin is the right man for the job for 2026 and beyond:
NEW: Sources tell @PeteNakos_ that legitimate conversations are being held about James Franklin’s future with Penn State.
— On3 (@On3sports) October 12, 2025
Intel: https://t.co/7oZdBKN3xh pic.twitter.com/j1hVlPGm40
Penn State fans are begging for James Franklin to be fired after the loss to Northwestern
You just had a feeling this was coming. Entering the 2025 campaign, the expectation was that Penn State would be in a position to push for a natty. Drew Allar decided to return for one more season, putting his NFL dreams on hold.
That decision backfired in a massive way, as the talented QB has struggled mightily this fall and he suffered a season-ending injury during Saturday's loss. You've just got to feel bad for the kid, as he wanted to help PSU capture the ultimate glory, but the opposite has been the case.
As for Franklin, he made a monster splash this offseason by poaching Jim Knowles from Ohio State, making him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the country. Franklin went all-in on Knowles to take his defense to the next level, but once again, that's not getting done.
Franklin has been with the Nittany Lions since 2014, and he has 104 wins to his name with the Big Ten powerhouse. After the College Football Playoff run last season, we all expected the Nittany Lions to be back in the hunt this year, but through six games, Penn State is 3-3. This is something Franklin knew he could never afford to have go down and it might end up costing him his job before you know it.