(WHTM) - James Franklin has been fired as Penn State's head football coach.

The news was first reported on Sunday afternoon by ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will serve as the interim head coach.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft. “He won a Big Ten Championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.”

The Nittany Lions

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