When Penn State decided to fire James Franklin on Oct. 12, 2025, it did so to send a message. After three straight losses to Big Ten opponents, a Nittany Lions squad that was seemingly set up for success had underperformed to the point that athletic director Pat Kraft wanted to step in and steer the football program in a new direction. It was an emotional decision to part ways with a coach in Franklin who had led Penn State to 104 wins and five top-10 finishes across a 12-year tenure.
But Kraft, in his press conference explaining the firing, said the move had to be made immediately in the best interest of the players on the team and the direction of the season. At the time, Penn State was 3-3 on the year. One year later, the breakup between Penn State and James Franklin has sent both parties on a wild ride, with each side, at different times, feeling they were indeed better off after the split.
But the cruel twist of this particular week, the one-year anniversary, is that it finds both Penn State and James Franklin in eerily similar states of disappointment, with a lot of work left to do to make the best of their first year in a new situation in 2026. James Franklin was fired, Matt Campbell was hired, and millions were spent on the coaching change, yet Penn State found itself with a 3-3 record again on Oct. 12. So let's detail the chapters of the last year for this breakup, noting specifically when each side has seemingly had an argument for "winning" the split and ultimately the path ahead for both Penn State and Franklin.
While this week paints a particularly bleak picture (they are currently a combined 0-4 against teams with a winning record), there are plenty of opportunities to flush the past and rewrite the present. James Franklin was a little bit surprised by Penn State's decision to move on six games into the season, but it also made him an early "home run" candidate for Virginia Tech as the Hokies fired Brent Pry even earlier in the 2025 campaign. Franklin had about $49 million worth of reasons to remain out of coaching, but a full-court press from Virginia Tech, including a plan for enhanced investments and the opportunity to get back to work, brought him to the table.
After a settlement with Penn State and a new contract was secured, Franklin received a hero's welcome in Blacksburg as the kind of coach who can return the Hokies to the top of the ACC. He got Frank Beamer's blessing for the job; he retained his former assistant, Brent Pry, as defensive coordinator and quickly began assembling a staff of former colleagues to work on his plan for the 2026 season. In just about five weeks' time (from getting fired on Oct. 12 to being hired on Nov. 17), James Franklin had gone from being blindsided by a firing to feeling an outpouring of love and support at his new school.
Meanwhile, Penn State was left playing the waiting game. While Franklin was officially out of work for just 36 days, Penn State endured a 54-day coaching search to replace him, leaving Nittany Lions fans with a very different feeling. Because while Franklin quickly picked himself up, found a new home and hit the ground running (which included efforts on the recruiting trail that impacted Penn State), athletic director Pat Kraft was working his way through in-season due diligence on potential candidates.
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