James Franklin breaks silence with strong words after Penn State Firing

James Franklin took the desk for an appearance with ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning — marking his first public appearance since he was fired by the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Franklin, who was in his 12th season as Penn State’s head coach, was fired following the program’s 3-3 start to the 2025 college football season.

Franklin was asked how he received the news that he would no longer be the Nittany Lions’ head coach, to which he gave a candid answer.

“We were a practice [on] Sunday team,” Franklin said. “We have a team meeting at 1:45. At about 1:30, the AD [Patrick Kraft] walked in and said ‘We’re going to make a change. I’m sorry.'”

“I was in shock, obviously,” he continued. “I really took the next 15 minutes to let my kids know so they wouldn’t find out on the internet. Then walked down and had a super emotional meeting with the team to tell them I was leaving. That was it. It was that quick. Obviously pretty much in shock that was going on.”

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Franklin was then asked if he believed the decision was fair.

“Fair is not for me to decide. That’s for other people to decide,” Franklin said. “The decision that was made was hard for me to comprehend at the time. But what I want to do is focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there. 12 years. Penn State was good to me and my family.

“Most importantly it’s about the players. I’m a players coach. I always have been. That’s the hardest part, is walking away from all those young men in that locker room — the recruits that were committed to us. A lot of tough conversations. So, that’s the challenge. It’s the people at the end of the day — the coaches, the staff, their families, the kids. What I don’t think people realize is how many people this affects. A ton of people. That’s where my heart breaks.”

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With Franklin out, Penn State is operating under interim head coach Terry Smith. The Nittany Lions will look to get their 2025 season back on track in a matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes this evening.

Saturday night’s game will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET in Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium.