Penn State has fired coach James Franklin six games into his 12th season with the Nittany Lions, . The decision comes amid a disastrous start to the 2025 campaign that saw Penn State slip to 0-3 in Big Ten play following a Week 7 loss to Northwestern.

Associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will serve as interim for the remainder of the 2025 season.

"Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power," Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft said. "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

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