The Domino Effect: The Firing of James Franklin and the Collapse of Penn State Football

10/12/2025

The news broke with a thud in Happy Valley: James Franklin was fired after 12 seasons as head coach of Penn State football. What was once framed as a stable tenure — rebuilding after sanctions, producing NFL talent, and keeping the Nittany Lions nationally relevant — has ended in a spectacular collapse. And the ripple effects are already shaking the foundation of the program.

Franklin's Downfall

Penn State's decision wasn't just about one bad loss. It was about a trend:

  • A 22–21 home loss to Northwestern, a game where Beaver Stadium echoed with chants of "Fire Franklin!"

  • A shocking defeat to previously winless UCLA.

  • Becoming the first program since 1978 to lose back-to-back games as a 20-point favorite.

  • Losing starting quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury.

  • A dismal .160 winning percentage against top-10 teams, a number that defined Franklin's inability to get Penn State over the Big Ten hump.

The timing of the firing is telling. Athletic Director Pat Kraft made it clear that while Franklin had done much to restore the program, the standard at Penn State is competing for Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff spots. And Franklin simply couldn't get past Ohio State or Michigan.

Recruiting Fallout: The 2027 Exodus

No sooner had Franklin been shown the door than Penn State's prized 2027 recruiting class fell apart. Within an hour, five-star RB Kemon Spell decommitted, followed by Layton Von Brandt (OT) and Gabriel Jenkins (CB). Add in WR Khalil Taylor, who had already pulled his pledge earlier in the week, and suddenly Penn State's 2027 class is down to zero commits.

The fallout even touched the 2026 class, where three-star WR Lavar Keys decommitted. While some notable names — WR Davion Brown, OT Kevin Brown, RB Messiah Mickens, and QB Troy Huhn — remain committed, the coaching uncertainty leaves those pledges fragile at best.

The message from recruits is clear: stability matters, and right now, Penn State doesn't have it.

The Media's Role in the Illusion

But let's be honest — this collapse didn't come out of nowhere. The sports media bears some responsibility for selling an illusion of Penn State's dominance. Coming into 2025, Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls, ahead of programs with stronger résumés and proven track records.

That hype ignored the obvious: Franklin's team had never beaten both Ohio State and Michigan in the same season, and rarely managed to beat even one. The Nittany Lions were propped up as a playoff lock, when in reality, their playoff appearance was only possible because of the expansion of the College Football Playoff.

As Ovi stated in the "All 4 Downs Podcast", Penn State was "lucky to be in the playoffs because of expansion" — not because they had truly earned it on the field. The rankings created unrealistic expectations, setting Franklin up for failure when the reality of Big Ten competition reared its head.

The Domino Effect

The dominoes have fallen in sequence:

  1. On-field collapse — embarrassing losses, especially as heavy favorites.

  2. Fan unrest — chants calling for Franklin's job at home games.

  3. Administrative decision — Penn State eats a record-breaking $49 million buyout.

  4. Recruiting implosion — the future 2027 class evaporates overnight.

  5. Program in flux — with interim coach Terry Smith steering the ship for now, Penn State is at a crossroads.

The Nittany Lions are not just searching for a new coach. They're searching for a new identity, one that can finally break the stranglehold Ohio State and Michigan have on the Big Ten.

Final Word

James Franklin's firing is more than just a coaching change — it's a reality check for a program that believed the hype, only to see it crumble when tested. The sports media inflated Penn State into something it wasn't, and now the program is paying the price.

The question now isn't just who will lead Penn State next. The real question is: can the Nittany Lions finally move from hype to hardware?

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