Former Penn State Coach James Franklin Makes Bold Prediction on ESPN GameDay

Franklin appeared on ESPN College GameDay six days after being fired as the Nittany Lions head coach.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

James Franklin thought he was going to win a national championship at Penn State. During his first interview after being fired, Franklin made clear that he's not done pursuing that.

"We're just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now," Franklin said.

The former Penn State coach appeared Saturday on ESPN College GameDay to make his first public comments since being fired Oct. 12. Franklin called the past six days "surreal," from being told Sunday afternoon of the decision to calling his family to telling players, parents and recruits about the decision.

Franklin recently received a message from Kevin Allar, father of injured Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, and reflected on how neither is with the team Saturday in Iowa City, where the Nittany Lions will face the Hawkeyes. But on the GameDay set, Franklin smartly projected the image of a resilient coach who will be on the sideline again, likely as soon as next season.

"The first thing was like, I need to take a deep breath," Franklin said. "I need to make sure the people that are around me are in good place. But after that, I don't know anything else. I've been doing this for 30 years. I don't have hobbies, I don't golf, I don't fish. This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it.

"So I think it was, take a deep breath, kind of in shock, surreal for a moment. And then it's, 'Hey, we've got to get back to doing what we do,' which is help young people achieve their dreams, get a great education and still balance what college football has become, the student-athlete experience and big-time business. But there's a way to do that, and I can't wait for that next challenge, and we're going to go win a national championship at the highest level."

James Franklin on his firing

“That was it. It was that quick.”

James Franklin opens up about the moment he learned he was being fired by Penn State. pic.twitter.com/fehnzSo25N

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 18, 2025

Franklin said that he was in obvious "shock" Sunday afternoon, when Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft informed him of the decision. He quickly called his family and then met the players for an "emotional" team meeting. Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith called that a "heartfelt' conversation.

"That was it," Franklin said. "It really was that quick. Obviously pretty much in shock that that was going on."

Franklin won 104 games and a Big Ten championship in his 11+ seasons at Penn State. He is tied for second on Penn State's career wins list. But this season Penn State lost three straight Big Ten games after being considered a preseason favorite to win the national championship, and Kraft said he felt he had "no other choice." Host Rece Davis asked Franklin how fairly he felt he was treated.

"Fair is not for me to decide. That's for other people to decide," Franklin said. "A decision was made that was hard for me to comprehend at the time. But what I want to do is, I want to focus on all the unbelievable moments. I had a great run there. Twelve 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. So 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 staffs, their families, the kids. What I don't think people realize is how many people this affects. This affects a ton of people. That's where my heart breaks."

What happened this season?

“We’re just going to go win the national championship somewhere else now.”

The goal hasn't changed for James Franklin 👀 pic.twitter.com/RUzsBPDK4y

— ESPN (@espn) October 18, 2025

Kirk Herbstreit asked Franklin how things got here. Penn State lost three games by a combined total of 12 points after being considered a national-championship favorite. Franklin couldn't answer that, reflecting instead on several memories, including the team's playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

"I can't answer that, to be honest with you," Franklin said. "I'm still working through it myself. It feels surreal. I just got a message from Drew Allar's dad that he's sitting home as well. We both should be in Iowa.

"... To think essentially six games ago [against Notre Dame], we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away. So that's the thing. I really can't answer that, Kirk. Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins, but decisions were made, and I'm not involved in those decisions. I'm very, very grateful for the time I had and most importantly for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were going to win a national championship there. We were close. That goal hasn't changed. We're just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now."