Penn State Fires James Franklin, Will Pay Nearly $50M Buyout

Penn State has fired James Franklin, opting to pay the embattled football coach a massive buyout of nearly $50 million.

The Nittany Lions fell to 3-3 on the season Saturday, following a third consecutive loss, this time a 22–21 upset loss at home to Northwestern. 

The entirety of Franklin’s contract is not public, but his most recent 10-year extension with PSU took effect in January 2022, and he was set to make an $8.5 million salary this season. Franklin’s tenure at PSU began in 2014; he leaves with a 104-45 record, including one Big Ten championship (2016) and one appearance in the College Football Playoff last season.

According to a financial term sheet he signed in 2022, which was obtained by USA Today, Franklin is owed $49.7 million for being fired without cause. That’s the largest buyout in college sports since Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher $76.8 million after firing him in 2023.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin, who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “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.”

Franklin’s buyout had come into the national spotlight in recent weeks during PSU’s slide, as the preseason No. 2 team in the nation fell outside the AP Top 25 after just five games.

Off-the-Field Fires, Too

Franklin’s firing coincides with another expensive controversy for PSU off the field.

Sources recently told Front Office Sports that some members of the school’s board of trustees are outraged by the process behind the decision not to renew its apparel contract with Nike in favor of signing a $300 million deal with Adidas. Those trustees were never shown the full offers from Adidas or Nike—only partial summaries—despite repeated requests, sources said.

PSU sent FOS a lengthy statement from board of trustees chair David Kleppinger and vice chair Rick Sokolov on Saturday night, vigorously denying any misconduct around the deal.

Around the Country

Franklin is the fifth Power 4 football coach to get fired since the 2025 season started:

• Penn State: James Franklin
• Arkansas: Sam Pittman (Sept. 28)
• Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy (Sept. 23)
• UCLA: Deshaun Foster (Sept. 14)
• Virginia Tech: Brent Pry (Sept. 14)

The Pac-12’s Oregon State also fired football coach Trent Bray on Sunday after an 0–7 start, and the AAC’s UAB fired Trent Dilfer midway through his third season.

Meanwhile, Bill Belichick’s status at North Carolina continues to be a topic of conversation, after a 2-3 start to his debut season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were off this weekend before playing at Cal on Friday. If Belichick is fired without cause this year, his buyout will be $20 million to cover 2026 and 2027—on top of the $10 million he’s paid for this year.