It's going to be hard for the Penn State fanbase to forgive James Franklin for the 42-37 loss to previously winless UCLA on Saturday. Dealing with continuous losses to top 10 opponents has been hard enough, but if Franklin can't beat the bottom dwellers of the Big Ten, then what's the point?
Fans have had almost 24 hours to let their feelings be known about Franklin, Drew Allar and the current state of Nittany Lions football. More seem to agree that it's time for a change.
James Franklin got PSU out of some very difficult times, and enhanced the program to a consistent top 10 team, while evolving it behind the scenes. He should be appreciated.
— Jake Myers (@CFBJake) October 5, 2025
It’s time for James Franklin and Penn State to part ways.
Both are true.
This was one of the nicer posts on X. Other fans were far less understanding and some even suggested he be fired immediately for losing in front of such a sad crowd at the Rose Bowl.
It's the money that matters
Not only does Franklin have a huge buyout — north of $50 million dollars, according to most reports, but there have been hundreds of millions invested in the program to give Franklin the resources he believed would bridge get Penn State to the top. Instead, it's gotten them a loss to UCLA and booted out of the top 25 for the first time since 2022.
Facilities upgrades, stadium renovations, his own helicopter to make recruiting trips in, etc
— SoDel Phan (@tz_103) October 5, 2025
PSU has already invested so much in James Franklin and the program.
Can they absorb the $50 mil to cut ties and move on?
The easiest solution is for Franklin to take another job
On the outside looking in
With Penn State, which was the No. 2 team in the preseason rankings, completely out of the top 25, it looks like any chance to recover and make the 12-team playoff bracket is slim. It's just another disappointment for fans to endure.
PENN STATE HEAD COACH JAMES FRANKLIN MUST GO NOW!!
— Tommy Toy (@TGT112246) October 5, 2025
Penn State's 42-37 loss to a previously winless UCLA team was a catastrophic defeat that severely impacted their national ranking, likely dropping them out of the AP and Coaches Poll top 25 entirely and all but eliminating them… pic.twitter.com/dQlpoHJP03
Disappointing losses aren't a new thing for Penn State fans in the Franklin era. It can be said that his entire tenure has been defined by disappointment. But there's just so much one group can take and at this point it seems cruel to continue this path when we know where it will lead.
17 Hours since James Franklin Should Have Been Fired. Can’t keep pretending it’s okay. Penn State needs more from their head coach. pic.twitter.com/JGtfqiojd0
— Andrew Adair (@andyadair17) October 5, 2025
If AI Bob Ross has had enough, it's probably time to go.