Sixteen days ago, everything was going well for James Franklin, with his Penn State football team at 3-0, No. 2 in the country and with a seemingly clear path back to the College Football Playoff, where a shot at a long-awaited national championship loomed.

Now, he’s out of a job.

With his team riding a three-game losing streak, Franklin was fired by the Nittany Lions on Sunday, Oct. 12, with the university confirming the stunning news.

The move came one day after Penn State lost at home 22-21 to Northwestern, dropping it to 3-3 and with no wins against Power Four conference opponents.

The two most recent defeats in that run were particularly damning for a talented and experienced team that was No. 3 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. After a double-overtime loss to Oregon on Sept. 27, Penn State came up short against two of the worst teams in the Big Ten, UCLA and Northwestern, in back-to-back weeks.

According to a financial term sheet he signed in 2022, which was obtained by the USA TODAY Network, Franklin is owed $49.7 million for being fired without cause.

Franklin was in his 12th season at the school. Over that time, he went 104-45, which included appearances in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. Last season, the Nittany Lions advanced to the semifinals of the playoff, where it fell 27-24 to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

Associate head coach Terry Smith will serve as Penn State’s interim head coach.

How did it to a point few people, if any, could have realistically envisioned as recently as last month?

Here’s a closer look at why Penn State fired Franklin:

Why did Penn State fire James Franklin?

By almost any measurement, Franklin is one of the greatest coaches in the history of Penn State, the kind of program where such a designation really means something.

His 104 wins are tied with Rip Engle for the second-most in Nittany Lions history, behind only Joe Paterno, the FBS career victories leader. Under Franklin, a program that was still reeling from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal was rebuilt into a national power. Franklin helped guide Penn State to a Big Ten championship in 2016, five New Year’s Six Bowl appearances and, perhaps most notably, a run to the playoff semifinals last season. He recruited extremely well, stocking the Nittany Lions with talented rosters that featured future NFL standouts like Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons, among others.

For all Franklin accomplished, he had shortcomings that were eventually too glaring for university leadership to ignore.

Franklin’s teams regularly struggled to beat the best opponents on their schedule in the kinds of games that define seasons and coaching tenures. With a 30-24 loss to Oregon on Sept. 27, Franklin fell to 4-21 against top-10 teams at Penn State. 

Those woes were most pronounced against Ohio State, a team that frequently stood as the Nittany Lions’ biggest obstacle in its quest to make the playoff and win a national championship under Franklin. Franklin ended his tenure at Penn State with just a 1-10 record against the Buckeyes, which included eight consecutive losses. The Nittany Lions’ last win against Ohio State came in Oct. 2016, in the final months of the Obama administration.

While Franklin’s teams perpetually came up short in their biggest games, they usually made up for it by consistently winning the overwhelming majority of the rest of its games, a tendency that allowed Penn State to win at least 10 games in six of its final eight full seasons under Franklin. With losses to UCLA and Northwestern, though, even that small bit of comfort was shattered.

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

This season, the Nittany Lions were one of a small handful of favorites to win a national title. They, at last, had playoff experience to fall back on, having nearly made the championship game earlier this year. They brought back many of their key players, from quarterback Drew Allar to the dynamic running back tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They were aggressive in the transfer portal to address what had been an inadequate wide receivers room, bringing in Devonte Ross (Troy), Trebor Pena (Syracuse) and Kyron Hudson (USC). After defensive coordinator Tom Allen left for the same position at Clemson, they snagged Jim Knowles, arguably the best defensive mind in the sport, away from Ohio State days after he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title.

With the losses to UCLA and Northwestern, though, what was set up to be a dream season quickly turned into a nightmare.

James Franklin buyout

Franklin’s exit won’t come cheaply for his former employer.

According to a financial term sheet he signed in 2022, which was obtained by the USA TODAY Network, Franklin is owed $49.7 million for being fired without cause.

The buyout is the second-largest in college football history, behind only the record-$76 million Texas A&M owed Jimbo Fisher when the school fired him in 2023. The sum that Franklin is owed is more than double the previous second-highest buyout at the FBS level (the $21.45 million Auburn had to pay Gus Malzahn after it fired him in 2020).

James Franklin record

Franklin went 104-45 in his time at Penn State, including a 65-37 mark in Big Ten play.

Prior to his arrival in State College, Franklin was the head coach for three seasons at Vanderbilt, where he guided a previously woeful Commodores program to a 24-15 record and three bowl appearances. His time at Vanderbilt brings his total record as a head coach to 128-60.

AI-assisted summary
• Penn State fired head football coach James Franklin after a three-game losing streak dropped the team from its preseason No. 2 ranking.
• Franklin’s tenure ends with a 104-45 record, but he struggled against top-10 opponents.
• Potential replacements include Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti.

Penn State fired football coach James Franklin on Sunday, Oct. 12 in a move that will create a ripple effect on this years coaching carousel.

Franklin and the Nittany Lions fell from preseason No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll to disappointing very fast following their three-game losing streak. Penn State fell to Oregon in overtime on Sept. 27 before falling to winless UCLA and unranked Northwestern, with the latter two losses mounting loads of frustration with the fanbase and program.

Franklin, who was hired before the 2014 season, led Penn State to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last season. He finishes his Penn State tenure with a 104-45 record, but struggled against elite prorgrams, posting a 4-21 record against top-10 ranked teams.

Penn State is already without quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the season, as he suffered a season-ending injury against Northwestern.

Here’s a look at potential coaching candidates for Penn State.

Penn State coaching candidates

Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Rhule, a Penn State linebacker from 1994-97, is in his third season as head coach at Nebraska with the Cornhuskers 5-1 this year.

The 50-year-old former Carolina Panthers coach from 2020-22 has a proven track record as a program builder, as he led quick and successful rebuilds at both Temple and Baylor. He also has a long friendship with Penn State athletics director Pat Kraft.

But Rhule also has a losing record in games against ranked competition, which might sour a Nittany Lions fan base that bemoaned Franklin’s record in marquee matchups. Other factors to keep in mind are Rhule’s comfort level at Nebraska and the fact he’s already tugged the Cornhuskers through a difficult two-year learning curve.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State

Campbell, who played college football at Pittsburgh and Division III Mount Union, has built Iowa State into a perennial Big 12 contender since joining the program in 2016.

The 45-year-old coach is a two-time Big 12 coach of the year and has two top-15 finishes with the Cyclones. He has also developed numerous NFL players, including Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Will McDonald IV.

Campbell has been a hot coaching name for multiple years, and Penn State could be the first job to lure him away. As much as any coach in the Power Four, there’s always been a very high level of interest and intrigue in how Campbell would fare if given Penn State-type resources. What’s clear is his ability to build a successful and sustainable program.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Penn State likely will consider Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who has turned Indiana into a national title contender in just two seasons.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers are coming off a 30-20 road win over No. 2 Oregon, rising to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll. He is 17-2 at Indiana.

Prior to his time in Bloomington, Cignetti helped transition James Madison to the Bowl Subdivision and had a successful stint at Elon. He spent six easons as head coach of Division II Indiana University at Pennsylvania, where he father also coached.

The work Cignetti has done at Indiana represents one of the finest coaching jobs in recent Power Four history. While there’s a belief that the Hoosiers have succeeded at a historic level solely because of its offense, that’s just one piece of the puzzle. Cignetti has done an outstanding job turning the Hoosiers into one of the most physical teams in the Big Ten.

Manny Diaz, Duke

Diaz served as the defensive coordinator at Penn State from 2022-23 before taking over as head coach at Duke in 2024.

Diaz has a 13-6 record with the Blue Devils, leading the program to a 9-4 record in 2024. He also was the head coach at Miami from 2019-21, but finished 21-15 before being fired after the 2021 season.

Diaz wouldn’t be the most attractive option, but he has recent familiarity with the program. He’s also a two-time head coach at Miami and the Blue Devils with a clear area of expertise. One negative for his candidacy are the recent links to the Franklin era, which could make Diaz a non-starter.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane

Penn State will kick the tires on Sumrall, now in his second year at Tulane, and will find an attentive audience. Sumrall’s defensive background would be a good fit from a cultural perspective, though he’d need to present a strong plan for how he’d handle the offensive side of the ball. This is more of a long shot because of Sumrall’s deep ties to the SEC and particularly Kentucky, which might have an opening in the next two months.

Brent Key, Georgia Tech

Key would be an unflashy but serious hire for a program that could flourish by embracing the same mentality that has Georgia Tech rising in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Much like Franklin at Vanderbilt, there’s also high interest in how Key could do with a move to a program with much deeper resources.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Elko already has an elite Power Four job at Texas A&M, where he’s steadily developing a team and program capable of winning an SEC title and a national championship. But there’s a definite argument for PSU having a clearer and easier path to the playoff and an opening-round bye than at A&M, which would make the Aggies’ second-year coach at least listen to the Nittany Lions’ offer.

Alex Golesh, South Florida

Golesh is one of the hottest names in the Group of Five after leading South Florida to a 5-1 start, including Oct. 10’s 63-36 win against previously unbeaten North Texas. The former Tennessee assistant inherited a one-win team but led the Bulls to bowl bids in each of his first two years to lay the groundwork for this year’s breakthrough.

His background and track record on offense are two major selling points, though his lack of experience makes Golesh one of the Nittany Lions’ backup options.

Fran Brown, Syracuse

Brown, a second-year head coach at Syracuse, has limited head coaching experience but has made a mark after taking the job in 2024.

Brown was the defensive backs coach at Georgia from 2022-23 after serving in a variety of roles at Temple and Baylor under Rhule. The Camden, New Jersey, native was also at Rutgers from 2020-21.

Brown led Syracuse to a 10-3 record last season, and the Orange were 3-1 nthis year after an upset of Clemson. But with starting quarterback Steve Agneli injured in the defeat of the Tigers, Syracuse has lost two in a row.

• Rico Dowdle ran for 183 yards in the Panthers’ win over the Cowboys, the running back’s former team.
• Dowdle’s 239 yards from scrimmage set a Panthers single-game franchise record.
• Javonte Williams, Dowdle’s replacement in Dallas, ran for just 29 yards on 13 carries.

Maybe the Dallas Cowboys should have heeded Rico Dowdle’s warning.

After a career day in a win over the Miami Dolphins last week, the Carolina Panthers running back immediately set his sights on the upcoming matchup with his former team, telling the Cowboys they needed to ‘buckle up’ in preparation. On Sunday, Dowdle backed up the talk, rumbling for 183 yards on a personal-high 30 carries to power a 30-27 win.

‘They wasn’t buckled up,’ Dowdle said in a postgame news conference.

With four catches for 56 yards, Dowdle became just the seventh player since 1970 – and the first since Dalvin Cook in 2020 – to have consecutive games with 225-plus yards from scrimmage. No other undrafted player has achieved the feat.

The sixth-year back, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this offseason after the Cowboys decided to move in a different direction with their ground game, also set the single-game franchise record for yards from scrimmage with 239.

Dowdle was a punishing presence throughout the day, never breaking a run longer than 15 yards. But his steady presence helped the Panthers rack up 14 first downs via the ground and tie the team’s highest scoring output this season.

‘Just looked like the same guy (as) last week,’ Panthers coach Dave Canales said. ‘Ran with violence, had a plan, man on a mission. (He) wants to make yards.’

Dowdle set the tone last week by issuing a warning of sorts.

“They gotta buckle up,’ Dowdle said after beating the Dolphins. ‘I think they know, for sure. I’ve been there for five years. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.’

While Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer indulged the remarks by saying his defenders would ‘bring our seat belts,’ some players met the remarks with confusion.

‘Man, he got to back it up. I’m not much into talking.,’ Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark said last week in response. ‘They ain’t play nobody like us. We ain’t play them, so he’ll watch the film and see what he’s playing against. … Yeah, he can be emotional. I know he was coming off a 200-yard game, so he’s probably feeling really good. Yeah, it’s going to be a battle in the trenches for sure. (The) trenches are going to win this game.’

Sure enough, they did. Javonte Williams, whom the Cowboys signed this offseason to take over as Dowdle’s replacement as the lead option in the backfield, ran for just 29 yards on 13 carries.

The win elevated Carolina to 3-3, marking the first time that the franchise has been at least .500 since Week 10 in 2021.

Rico Dowdle stats vs. Cowboys

• Carries: 30
• Rushing yards: 183
• Receptions: 4
• Receiving yards: 53
• Touchdown catches: 1

Things are going south in Miami after Week 6.

The Miami Dolphins dropped to 1-5 after they were defeated 29-27 by the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Miami rallied from a 26-13 fourth-quarter deficit, but quarterback Justin Herbert and wideout Ladd McConkey led the Chargers on a game-winning drive that was punctuated by a 33-yard game-winning field goal by kicker Cameron Dicker.

The Dolphins had just enough time for one last desperation play in the final seconds, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was picked off by Chargers safety Derwin James to seal the game.

Following the contest, Tagovailoa voiced his frustration and revealed teammates have been late or skipped players-only meetings amid Miami’s struggles.

“I think it starts with our leadership, and helping articulate that for the guys. And then, what we’re expecting out of the guys, right? We’re expecting this. Are we getting that? Are we not getting that?

“We have guys showing up to player-only meetings late. Guys not showing up to player-only meetings,” Tagovailoa said. “There’s a lot that goes into that. Do we have to make this mandatory? Do we not have to make this mandatory? So, it’s a lot of things of that nature that we gotta get cleaned up. And it starts with the little things like that.”

Tagovailoa tossed three interceptions in the loss. The Dolphins QB has seven INTs this season.

“The only place we can go in next week. We talk about figuring this out and getting it together collectively. What are the problems? What are the issues? Are they getting fixed? Are they not getting fixed? Why are they not getting fixed? Or if they are fixed, how are we not allowing them to happen again? Things of that nature,” Tagovailoa explained. “I contributed to that as well with three turnovers. You can’t do that and expect to win games.”

The 1-5 Dolphins are off to their worst start since the 2021 season. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel are both rumored to be on the hot seat.

Miami’s lone victory came against the only team in the NFL without a win, the New York Jets. The Dolphins are on the road versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

• Curt Cignetti could either be a turncoat, or he could keep authoring this epic turnaround at Indiana.
• Penn State is a good job, but NIL and transfer free agency changed game. Indiana can win big now, too.
• Call Curt Cignetti? Sure, go ahead. Why not call Urban Meyer, too?

If you’ve got Curt Cignetti penciled in as Penn State’s next coach, I’m afraid I see one teeny, tiny problem.

Cignetti’s going to be otherwise occupied this winter, what with chasing a national championship at Indiana.

If you’re thinking Cignetti could one day build a national title contender at Penn State, I’d invite you to check out the Hoosiers. Cignetti’s current team can win a national championship. If you don’t believe that, you didn’t watch Indiana chew up Oregon.

So, Penn State, good luck trying to find the next Cignetti, because the O.G. would be a fool to leave Indiana and miss out on winning a national championship with the Hoosiers.

Cignetti’s a lot of things. Cocky. Savvy. Strategic. A virtuoso. One thing he’s not: a fool.

Penn State job is good. Winning national title at Indiana would be better

Don’t get me wrong, Penn State’s a good job, with resources and a good recruiting base, but the year isn’t 1986, and national championship pursuits are not reserved to bluebloods. This is the time of the nouveau riche. A basketball school with a sharp coach and an NIL bankroll can pursue glory. Cignetti can chase a ring at Indiana, without the pressures of Penn State. Pretty ideal, eh?

A program’s historical prestige, or lack thereof, has never meant less than it does now. Out in West Texas, a program with a roster funded by a billionaire is vying for a first-round playoff bye.

NIL changed the game, and that includes the coaching carousel. Even a decade ago, if an Indiana coach thought he had a chance to springboard to Penn State, he’d have been on the next plane out of town. Heck, he’d have walked to State College. Now, that’s not necessary, not when Bobby Knight’s basketball school can become a national championship frontrunner — in football.

The season’s longer than ever, too. That complicates trying to plunder a playoff-qualifying coach. Indiana could take an undefeated record into the Big Ten championship game or beyond. Its season could go as late as Jan. 19, the date of the national championship. By then, the transfer free agent market will be operating at full speed.

Would Penn State be willing to hold up its hire to wait on Cignetti? Would Cignetti be up for changing jobs that late in the calendar?

It’s worth finding out. Go ahead and make the phone call, Penn State, but once you learn Cignetti’s not leaving an undefeated squad, move along.

Is Urban Meyer answering his phone?

Heck, while you’re at it, call Urban Meyer. See if he wants to try to stick it to Ohio State. Might be a better chance of Urb dusting off his play sheet than Cignetti walking away from the nation’s No. 3-ranked team.

While the phone is handy, maybe fire off a text to Lane Kiffin and see if he’s up for reprising his renegade past.

Plundering a sitting Power Four coach isn’t a perquisite to success, though.

Look around the Big Ten. None of the guys leading the top three teams — Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon — had been a Power Four coach before their current roles.

Quick, name for me the coach who replaced Cignetti at James Madison, who’s also a Pennsylvania native, and who, like Cignetti, won consistently at the Division II and Championship Subdivision levels before continuing Cigs’ success at James Madison.

That’d be Bob Chesney.

Or, has anyone in Pennsylvania noticed what Alex Golesh is achieving at South Florida? Don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying Penn State will settle on a Group of Five coach. I expect the Nittany Lions will chase bigger names. Also not saying Chesney or Golesh would be a home-run hire. I didn’t know Cignetti would be a grand slam for Indiana, either.

For every Cignetti, there’s many, many more Billy Napiers who fizzle after their call-up to the big-time. Plenty of Luke Fickells, too, who flop despite seeming like a natural choice.

If only it were easy to unearth the next Cignetti, everyone would do it.

Strange things sometimes happen when the coaching carousel twirls into hyperdrive, so, sure, check and see if Cignetti would leave his epic turnaround at Indiana to become a turncoat. Make him say no. Once he does, Cignetti can get back to work on that statue (not to mention a raise) that’ll be owed to him at Indiana if he stays.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Enter Pat McAfee. OK, so the former Indianapolis Colts punter lives in Indy and his wife is a Hoosier, but the ESPN personality was on an island this morning picking IU to beat Oregon on the ‘College GameDay’ set.

That faith didn’t go unnoticed by the seventh-ranked Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0). Quarterback Fernando Mendoza made sure to give McAfee some love following Indiana’s 30-20 win over the Ducks (5-1, 2-1).

‘I want to give a quick shoutout to my guy Pat McAfee for shouting us out because he’s friends with my guy Steve Levy, and Boston Connor. Let’s go. Go Hoosiers!’ Mendoza told CBS’ Jenny Dell.

Dell quipped back, ‘ESPN, CBS, whatever. We’ll go with that.’

McAfee’s pick Saturday morning came with a little misdirection.

“Fernando Mendoza has no chance to come in here,” McAfee said. “I love Oregon. I love Dan Lanning. I was shirtless with that man this morning… But my wife is a Hoosier, through and through. And so am I, baby! Give me the Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers! Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers! Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers!  In the biggest win of (Curt) Cignetti’s career, the Indiana Hoosiers tell the world, ‘We’re for real.’”

Indeed, it appears they are.

‘Indiana gets the win today, changes the trajectory of all of college sports,’ McAfee continued. ‘Congratulations to Cig and the boys.