Penn State’s decision to fire head coach James Franklin will prove a very costly one financially.
The Nittany Lions fired Franklin on Sunday following the team’s third consecutive loss, despite a very high cost in doing so. ESPN’s Pete Thamel noted that Franklin is owed over $49 million by the school as a result of his firing.
That is the second-highest buyout ever paid to a coach by an NCAA school. Only Jimbo Fisher’s buyout at Texas A&M was larger.
The more than $49 million set to be owed by Penn State to James Franklin is the second-biggest buyout in the history of college football. Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher buyout remains the most at more than $76 million.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025
The fact that Penn State was willing to pay Franklin off demonstrates just how bad things have gotten around the program. Nittany Lions fans had completely lost faith in the head coach, as evidenced by the reception he received while leaving the field after Saturday’s home loss to Northwestern. It marked the team’s third straight defeat despite the fact that they had been favored by over 20 points over each of the previous two games.
Franklin’s buyout was so high because the Nittany Lions signed him to a massive contract extension in 2021. At that time, Franklin was frequently linked to other top jobs, and Penn State did not want to risk losing him. They expected that Franklin would continue to grow the program into an annual contender. While he did get them to the College Football Playoff last season, he was never able to escape the perception that he couldn’t win the biggest games.
One has to wonder if Penn State’s financial obligations to Franklin might limit how much they will be willing to spend on his replacement. Regardless of whether that is the case or not, the situation could not have gone much worse for the school.
