Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M most successful coaches in program his- tory just to make way for an uninspiring replacement. "We have made significant invest- ments in this program," Kraft said. "We compete in the best conference in the country, and we have the best fans and alums in the country. With a renovated stadium on the horizon, I have nothing but confidence in our future and in our ability to attract an elite leader for our Penn State football program." 'We Shouldn't Lose That Game' Franklin's final game as Penn State's head football coach ended a lot like that fateful clash with the Buckeyes in 2018. Northwestern put together a late scor- ing drive and held a slender one-point lead after missing a two-point conver- sion. Then the Wildcats stopped PSU on fourth down and ran out the clock. Following the game, which dropped Penn State's record to 3-3 in a season in which it started out ranked second in the AP poll, the mood in Beaver Stadium was surly. The fans who remained showered Franklin with boos — to the point that he sent his family through the tunnel well ahead of him to try and protect them from the jeering. When they were all through to the other side, he gave them a hug and headed to the locker room. In his postgame presser, Franklin of- fered an uncharacteristically brief open- ing statement. The message was much the same as it had been seven years ago, but there was little passion in his voice. "We shouldn't lose that game," he said wearily. "It's 100 percent on me. We need to get it fixed, and I will get it fixed." He never got that chance. The follow- ing afternoon, Franklin was out. Penn State never did play for the na- tional championship in his 12 seasons at the school. But he came along in the wake of a dark period in the program's history and convinced the Nittany Lion faithful they had every reason to expect success at the highest level. That restoration of belief was one of Franklin's greatest accomplishments at PSU. In the end, though, it may also have been his undoing. ■ Players Laud James Franklin's Impact On Their Lives Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft fired James Franklin on Oct. 12, a move that would have seemed unthinkable just a few weeks earlier. The 2025 season had been shaping up to be one of the program's best in many years, but after three consecutive losses, the PSU athletics administration decided to pay one of the biggest buyouts in college football history to move on from a coach who spent 12 years building up the program. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way, but if there's one thing that most would agree on, it's that Franklin was fiercely loyal to his players throughout his tenure. That's why it was no surprise to see so many of them showing their support for Franklin after learning of his dismissal. Micah Parsons, a former All-America linebacker turned perennial All-Pro, now with the Green Bay Packers, was among those who weighed in. "Regardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn't feel right to me," Parsons wrote. "Coach deserved better! Myself and countless others wouldn't be where we are today without Coach!" Another former linebacker, Jason Cabinda, wrote, "This downfall honestly doesn't even feel real." Trace McSorley was a member of Franklin's first recruiting class at Penn State and went on to become one of the great quarterbacks in school history. After spending four sea- sons in the NFL, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant quarterbacks coach earlier this year. "I wouldn't have wanted to play for anybody else in the world," McSorley said. There were a lot of broken-heart emojis, including from freshman receiver Jeff Exinor Jr., redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh, redshirt sophomore line- backer DaKaari Nelson, redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and former PSU safety Jaquan Brisker, who is now with the Chicago Bears. Junior linebacker Tony Rojas, who is out with a season-ending injury, said the decision felt surreal. "I appreciate you, Coach, for the opportunity and for being so good to me and my fam- ily," he wrote. "You weren't just a great coach but someone who cared about his players and wanted to develop us as men off the field, too." — Ryan Snyder Linebacker Micah Parsons committed, then decommitted, then recommitted to Penn State during the 2018 cycle. The five-star signee, now a star with the Green Bay Packers, was caught off-guard by Franklin's dismissal. PHOTO COURTESY MICAH PARSONS