(BCSNN) — Penn State has fired head football coach James Franklin following a 3–3 start to the 2025 season, resulting in a plummet from the No. 2 spot in both major polls as recently as Week 4 to unranked entering Week 8. The move comes after a 22–21 home loss to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions’ third consecutive defeat and their worst start in Big Ten play since 2016.

Franklin, 53, went 104–45 in 12 seasons at Penn State. He was hired in 2014 after three seasons at Vanderbilt and helped restore national relevance to a program still recovering from the NCAA sanctions that followed the school and its athletic department for covering up several child sexual assaults by Penn State staff that spanned multiple decades and children.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft. “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.”

Associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Penn State hosts Michigan State on Oct. 18.

“I am grateful for all that Coach Franklin has done for Penn State football and the University over the past 11-plus years. We thank him for his dedication, and we extend our best wishes to him and his family as they move forward into their next chapter,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Our commitment to excellence extends across every facet of our institution, including athletics, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to this exciting new chapter for the Nittany Lions as we continue to build on that standard."