Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
2 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M tic changing. In his remarks at an Oct. 13 press conference, Kraft seemed to share that concern. "This is not a three-game thing," he said. "This is really diving into where we were as a program, the trajectory of the program. I'm not shy to admit it, I'm here to win a national championship. I believe our fans deserve that." Significant Investments It had been assumed that Franklin's massive buyout — approximately $49.7 million, per USA Today — would be an insurmountable obstacle blocking any coaching change Penn State might have been contemplating. If that's what PSU agreed to pay, it would be the second- largest buyout in college football his- tory, trailing only the $76.9 million that Texas A&M paid in 2023 to part ways with Jimbo Fisher. However, Front Office Sports re- ported that Penn State could end up paying significantly less than the top- line number. According to the FOS re- port, the athletics department only has to make up the difference between the annual salary in Franklin's PSU contract and whatever he earns at his next job. Also, per FOS, he is required to make a good-faith effort to find a new job in coaching or broadcasting. Kraft declined to offer any details about the buyout, noting only that the athletics department has not had to ask the university to help pay it. "This is an athletics issue," he said. "This is not the institution's issue. We in athletics are covering all the costs." Penn State belongs to the wealthiest conference in college football, but it's already committed to spending $700 million on its Beaver Stadium overhaul, and it needs to keep pace with its rivals in the new world of revenue sharing — expenses that make the size of Franklin's buyout a matter of no small concern. There's also another big financial com- mitment looming, with Penn State set to hire a new, presumably high-profile, head coach. The Nittany Lions' search is likely to include Nebraska's Matt Rhule and In- diana's Curt Cignetti, both of whom are already making more than $8 million an- nually. Iowa State's Matt Campbell and Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham are in a slightly lower tax bracket, but this is go- ing to be an expensive hire no matter who is chosen. The Lions didn't fire one of the "Football is our backbone. We have invested at the highest level. With that come high expectations. Ultimately, I believe a new leader can help us win a national championship, and now is the right time for this change." A T H L E T I C S D I R E C T O R P A T R I C K K R A F T Athletics director Patrick Kraft said the decision to move on from Franklin is based on the pro- gram's long-term trajectory, not the recent los- ing streak that dropped the team from College Football Playoff contention. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS