Current and former members of the Penn State football team have reacted to the firing of head coach James Franklin after a disastrous start to the season.
Franklin, 53, was fired on Sunday, October 12, following three consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.
Penn State entered the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press’ top 25 poll and were one of the betting favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Franklin had been the head coach at Penn State since 2014.
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Penn State junior linebacker Tony Rojas was among the players who took to social media with an emotional message after news of Franklin’s firing was announced.
“S—- heartbreaking and dont even feel real.” Rojas, 20, wrote via X on Sunday. “I appreciate you coach for the opportunity and being so good to me and my family 🤞🏼wasnt just a great coach but someone who cared about us players and wanted to develop us as men off the field too.. 😒”
Penn State senior quarterback Drew Allar — who was carted off the field during the team’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, October 11, and ruled out for the remainder of the season — posted multiple tributes to Franklin via his Instagram Story on Sunday.
Allar, 21, posted a recent photo of himself and Franklin laughing in the locker room captioned: “🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.”
Penn State assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley, who played quarterback under Franklin at Penn State from 2015 to 2018, posted an emotional message via social media.
“Coach, I really don’t have words to express my gratitude,” McSorley, 30, shared via Instagram on Sunday. “You believed in me when others didn’t. You pushed me to be the best player and man I could be. You were there for me at my highest and lowest points on and off the field. You showed me what hard work, dedication, loyalty, and leadership looks like.”
McSorley added, “I wouldn’t have wanted to play for anybody else in the world. It always starts with I love you and ends with I love you. Love you Coach!”
Former Penn State defensive end Micah Parsons, who is now a superstar in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, showed his support for his old coach on social media.
“Regardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn’t feel right to me!” Parsons, 256, wrote via X on Sunday. “Coach deserved better! My self and countless others wouldn’t be where we are today without Coach! Thank you.”
Penn State announced Franklin’s firing on Sunday afternoon, calling it “a change in football leadership.”
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“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft said in a statement. “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.”
Franklin concludes his tenure at Penn State with a 104-45 record, tying him for the second-winningest coach in the history of Penn State football.
However, Franklin’s inability to win big games haunted him. He finished 4-21 overall against top 10 teams and 4-17 against division rivals Ohio State and Michigan.
Penn State and interim head coach Terry Smith return to action on Saturday, October 18, on the road against Iowa.
