On Oct. 12, Penn State fired its head football coach, James Franklin, following three straight losses, terminating his 12-year tenure. Many anticipated a breakthrough year for the program, but were met with an unexpected downfall, which prompted an expected, yet overwhelmingly negative reaction from fans, overlooking Franklin’s extremely successful history with the program. This backlash prompted program executives to make a rushed decision to fire Franklin, discounting the success he achieved throughout his tenure.
After a loss in a double-overtime whiteout game against Oregon, the Nittany Lions began to slide down a slippery slope, dropping games against UCLA and Northwestern, both unranked teams considered surefire wins before the season.
In the wake of this stretch of losses, the decision to fire Franklin was hastily made. Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft informed Franklin of the decision just 15 minutes before a team meeting on the Sunday following the Northwestern loss. His multitude of successes and established legacy at Penn State forgotten, a long-term verdict was irrationally made in response to a short-term issue.
The next Saturday, Oct. 18, Franklin was interviewed live on College Gameday regarding his firing, which, as co-host Desmond Howard said, “speaks volumes about who [Franklin is] as a man.”
On the show, Franklin described being “in shock” after the decision was made, also noting that it was “hard to comprehend at the time.” Franklin’s reaction, however, did not match those of the Penn State fanbase, who had been calling for changes to be made for weeks already.
Sophomore Dillon Lieb noticed a large social media presence surrounding the coaching issues.
“I saw Franklin receiving a lot of unnecessary hate and criticism on social media that definitely played into his firing,” Lieb said.
Lieb’s observations agreed with those of many, who noted that throughout the team’s decline, social media was loud in criticizing Franklin. Thousands of people attacked him on the internet; commenters were harsh, some of the more tame comments being “Ship James Franklin to Subway to work,” and “Stay in Cali, James”.
Sophomore football player and Penn State fan Dante Peterson disagreed with the way Franklin was treated.
“I think, in recent weeks, [the fanbase] did not treat Franklin the right way. I think we put a lot of the blame on him, even if it wasn’t really his fault necessarily,” Peterson said.
Some argue that Franklin’s firing was necessary because, during his time as head coach, the team rarely won games against top-ranked teams. Although his history in these games has not been ideal, fans must consider everything he has done for the program since his hiring in 2014, which far outweighs the negative aspects. Peterson agreed with this sentiment.
“[The fanbase] kind of forgot from the point where he started to where he has brought us, and we kind of just raised the expectation a little too quick,” Peterson said.
The legendary moments, players, and scorelines during Franklin’s tenure were plentiful, but all were neglected when the decision was made to fire him. Franklin has brought in some of the highest-rated recruits in program history, including current NFL superstar Micah Parsons, as well as found low-rated hidden talents in running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorely, who led the 2016 Nittany Lion team to a Big Ten Championship.
Franklin-led teams have brought fans some of the greatest memories in Penn State history, one being the famous “Block Six,” when the Nittany Lions blocked an Ohio State field goal and returned it for a touchdown. In addition, just last year, Franklin steered a great team to the College Football Playoff semifinals, the best Penn State season in over a decade.
Lieb had an abundance of fond memories involving Franklin, but one stood out above the rest.
“The last drive against Iowa back in 2017…When Trace McSorely threw the game-winning pass to Juwan Johnson on the final play of the game, I think it was a great final drive orchestrated by Coach Franklin, and one of my favorite memories of his coaching tenure,” Lieb said.
In the years before Franklin was hired, the Nittany Lions had multiple seasons with five or more losses, going a combined 31-19 from 2010-2013. During the Franklin era, the team consistently had two or fewer losses per season, only dipping below that number a few times, showing significant improvement from prior coaches.
Since his firing, Franklin has received support from many, but most notably legendary former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Saban, another co-host of College Gameday, voiced his opinion during Franklin’s interview on the show.
“It’s unfair…For you to go to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, get into the Final Four, come out ranked number one this year, an expectation that you created, by what you accomplished at Penn State, and for those people not to show enough appreciation for that, and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I’m saying it’s unfair,” Saban said.
Saban, a widely respected and loved figure in College Football, spoke for many in saying that Penn State disrespected Franklin in firing him in the manner that they did.
Overall, the significant feats that Franklin accomplished throughout his time as head coach did not warrant his firing. The loud, hectic, online frenzy surrounding the team’s sudden decline played too much of a role in the decision-making process, and Franklin was moved on from unfairly. Franklin, who will continue to coach football in the future, will remain a huge part of Penn State Football history, and his tenure will be remembered for years to come.
Read Macon Workman’s take on the issue here.
