Penn State head coach James Franklin greets fans before an NCAA college football game against Oregon, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Penn State can’t be accused of wasting time.

Less than 24 hours after the Nittany Lions suffered their third-straight loss, 22-21, to unranked Northwestern, the university pulled the plug on James Franklin, ending his 12-year run.

Franklin’s overall body of work should be judged as positive – he was the right coach at the right time who recruited and represented well and provided needed stability – but the time had obviously come for a change.

As expectations rose – and Franklin rose them, saying this year’s Lions had their “best personnel, coaches and players” of his tenure – his teams consistently fell short in the biggest moments.

And when they would lose, they would lack resiliency, with no examples worse than this season.

The Nits followed up their double-overtime White Out defeat to Oregon with inexcusable losses at previously-winless UCLA and then Northwestern – both 20-plus point underdogs.

The fans had gotten used to big-game disappointments and to a point accepted them.

Franklin was 4-21 vs. the Top 10 and 1-18 vs. Big Ten teams in the Top 10, but when he started losing to conference also-rans, patience not only wore thin, it wore out.

Franklin was booed relentlessly during the last two home games, Beaver Stadium’s “Fire Franklin” chants ringing in his ears.

Even surrounded by his family, he was taunted in the stadium tunnel enroute to the locker room.

The ugliness was bound to continue and, in that regard, this move should restore some needed civility while also granting Franklin and his family peace.

Then again, the 10-year extension through 2031 that Sandy Barbour, Eric Barron and the Board of Trustees – let’s not forget them – recklessly gifted Franklin in 2021 and calls for a $49 million buyout has a way of providing peace.

Saturday night, Franklin accepted responsibility for the recent slide – saying, “it’s 100% on me” – and pledged “I will get it fixed,” but Penn State, understandably, had seen enough.

The school is in the midst of a $700 million renovation and could not afford to start losing donors let alone star recruits, which had happened in the last few days.

Franklin’s body language lately suggested he knew the end was coming.

According to Dani Dennis-Sutton, Franklin informed his players Saturday that, “He loves us, and he’ll do anything for us.”

If that didn’t sound like a parting message, Franklin also admitted to the team: “Now, there’s a whole (a)nother level of problems” that were beyond his control.

To his credit, Franklin leaves the program in good shape.

He won 104 games, a Big Ten title (2016), three New Year’s Six games and two College Football Playoff games.

He also prodded the power brokers enough to improve facilities that will benefit his successor.

Whomever Pat Kraft & Co. select will have to be an upgrade on the day of the game, where Franklin did not shine, and his recent coordinator choices flopped, too.

Franklin showed a wandering eye earlier in his career, which did not endear him to the longtime Penn State fan, which for better or worse but mostly better, was used to almost no changes.

If you haven’t already, you’ll soon hear names like Matt Rhule and Manny Diaz, possibly a lesser known like D’Anton Lynn and maybe a home-run swing at Curt Cignetti. Please don’t say Urban Meyer.

Short-term, the search will overshadow what happens on the field.

With a trip to Iowa up next followed by a game at Ohio State, it’s conceivable – even likely – that when the Lions return home Nov. 8 (to face unbeaten Indiana), they’ll be riding a five-game losing streak.

Not to mention with a new quarterback, probably Ethan Grunkemeyer, in the wake of Drew Allar’s season and career ending injury.

It was bound to get worse before it would get better.

Franklin was clearly defeated Saturday night, and there was no reason to think he can fix it, let alone reach the elite level he boldly predicted in 2018.

That will be up to the next guy.

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.