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The Penn State Nittany Lions dropped a bombshell on the college football world on Sunday when they parted ways with longtime head coach James Franklin.
Franklin won 34 games combined from 2022-2024 and took Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, the Nittany Lions entered the season with national title aspirations and have since crumbled, losing three straight games to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern, the latter two coming at 20-plus point underdogs.
Additionally, Franklin has just two top-10 wins since 2016, the first of which came against Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl with Utes starting QB Cam Rising injured. The second of which came against Boise State in last year’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Penn State AD Pat Kraft Pens Letter To Football Players After James Franklin Firing
On Monday morning, Football Scoop managed to acquire the letter that Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft sent to players after Franklin’s firing. And by the sounds of it, it wasn’t exactly a mutual decision.
“Dear Penn State Football Family,
“I want to share with you directly that we have made a change in the leadership of our football program as Coach Franklin will no longer be the head football coach,” Kraft wrote.
“The decision did not come lightly. I have tremendous respect for James and for the deep commitment and effort he and his staff have shown our student-athletes and our great university.
“However, after careful consideration of the program’s trajectory and performance, I believe new leadership is necessary to position Penn State Football for long-term success.”
It’s hard to argue with Kraft’s point. Franklin had a lot of success at Penn State. But it was clear the program had reached its ceiling with him at the helm.
It’s difficult to keep fans and donors engaged if they no longer believe in the possibility of success. And that was the case in Happy Valley. It was abundantly clear that Nittany Lions fans no longer believed in Franklin, and at that point, there’s no better option than to cut bait and try something new.