Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he dance at Penn State is, at least for the moment, over. Within 18 hours of the Nittany Lions' 22-21 loss to Northwestern, head coach James Franklin was fired by athlet- ics director Patrick Kraft. Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith was elevated to the interim role. Players and staff were in- formed by Franklin himself in the regu- larly scheduled team meeting on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 12. The team was also addressed by the administra- tors, who explained the decision and urged unity. The following day, Kraft returned to Beaver Stadium with Smith to address reporters. Providing a summary of the decision, while revealing some of the details behind it, the Nittany Lions' athletics director expressed his genuine respect and appreciation for Franklin's stewardship of the program. And Smith immediately showed why he was the right choice to lead it forward. Now, the real work begins. Within the Lasch Building, Smith has his work cut out for him. Needing to rally disillusioned players and staff — at once knocked off their feet by a stunning 3-3 start to the season and emotionally pummeled by Franklin's dismissal — the Nittany Lions have the back half of the schedule to play. And they'll need to play all of those games without senior quarterback Drew Allar, who was lost for the season with a leg injury in the loss to Northwestern. At the Penn State Athletic Adminis- tration Building on the corner of Park Avenue and Porter Road, Kraft and his staff have started to set the course for the program as it transitions into a new era. First, there is no timeline. Franklin is gone, Smith has the confidence of the athletics department that he can bridge the gap to whatever comes next, and the opportunity to get ahead of the coach- ing carousel has arrived. While timing is everything, there is no rush to name a successor. The only remotely relevant comp for Kraft in this capacity is his hiring of Mike Rhoades to lead the men's basket- ball program following the departure of Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame in March 2023. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Six days after Shrewsberry's official introduction in South Bend, Penn State officially hired and signed Rhoades. But Shrewsberry left of his own ac- cord. The season had ended, and Penn State moved quickly in identifying top candidates, vetting them and making a selection. Franklin, by contrast, is gone at Kraft's behest. The season is ongoing, and foot- ball is exponentially more important to the future of Penn State athletics than men's basketball. Agents will plant stories in the coming days and weeks. In some respects, this is akin to Franklin's loose links to the LSU and USC jobs during the 2021 season as his own contract extension with Penn State was being negotiated. Not that those conversations weren't real, or that contacts hadn't been made, but they were secondary to what was going on be- hind the scenes with Franklin and Penn State. The leverage those stories created was diminished as the Nittany Lions worked through a difficult season. The end result was a 10-year deal worth $8.5 million annually. Now, take that concept and apply it to every active and inactive college football coach in America. Reports of mutual interest will come fast and furious in the days ahead. Not all of them will be false, but ulterior motives will be in play. One certainty is that Matt Rhule will be a candidate. The Nebraska coach grew up in State College, is a Penn State grad- uate and has been friends with Kraft dat- ing back to their time together at Temple. Any list of potential coaches that doesn't include Rhule is incomplete. Still, there is an opportunity now to eval- uate the football landscape and consider who's out there, and make contact with agents to gauge interest before setting out on any one path. Even if Rhule is the ever-present name in this conversation, Penn State can afford to cast a wide net that includes high-profile names, fan fa- vorites, outside-the-box candidates, and everything in between. What's also clear is that there won't be a search firm for this one. Penn State eschewed that approach when it hired Rhoades, and it will do the same in seek- ing Franklin's successor. This is Kraft's show. The shape that Penn State's search takes, and Franklin's future in the sport, are very much uncertain. But in the af- termath of a relationship that had grown increasingly disconnected, they're now on separate paths. For all of the successes, failures and what-ifs that Franklin leaves behind, the moment offers a reset for both par- ties. What comes next, and who directs it, will decide whether Penn State's next dance is more fruitful than the last. ■ Athletics director Patrick Kraft is taking charge of Penn State's efforts to find a new head football coach. PSU doesn't plan to hire a search firm to assist. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Penn State Will Have A Full Dance Card