After three challenging weeks of Penn State football, the university has fired head coach James Franklin. With disappointing losses against Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern, this year’s once-promising season has taken a turn. On Oct. 12, the day after the most recent and unexpected loss against Northwestern, athletic director at Penn State, Pat Kraft, announced Franklin had been fired.
Although the team has struggled this season with a record of 3-3, Franklin has had many past accomplishments. During his 12-season tenure, he had an overall record of 128-60 and led his team to win the 2016 Big Ten Championship. He had a Big Ten Conference record of 64-33 and finished in the top 12 of the final College Football Playoff rankings for seven of the last nine seasons. Franklin also led Penn State to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, an achievement that had not been accomplished for decades in the university’s history.
However, one of his most notable skills was his ability to recruit exceptional talent. He coached more than 50 Penn State players that went on to play in the NFL. He lost the past three games, but Franklin’s previous seasons with Penn State have been quite successful, so did he really deserve to get fired?
A senior on the EHS football team, Peter Sherman, does not believe that Franklin should have been fired mid-season.
“I think that it may have been a little bit early to fire Coach Franklin…it may have been deserved, but definitely his players miss him,” Sherman said.
Aside from being a talented coach, Franklin helped to rebuild Penn State football’s reputation following a very dark period marred by scandal. He established a positive, winning attitude on the team and encouraged players to work to their full potential. Many possible recruits had renewed interest in Penn State as Franklin was a great coach, role model, and had restored respect for and faith in the team.
Freshman Jordyn Bogert believes James Franklin was an energetic and passionate person, and was good at connecting and interacting with the team and its supporters.
“I don’t think it was fair [for him to get fired]. Just because he lost three games doesn’t really show him as a person,” Bogert said. “They had a really good winning record, and he helped rebuild Penn State.”
Now, in the wake of his removal from staff, current players who were recruited by him are left without the coach they wanted to play for, and several high school athletes who were planning on playing football at Penn State decommitted after hearing of Franklin’s firing, according to articles from Trib HSSN and Mike Farrell Sports.
Apart from the impact that this situation has had on the football team, it also tarnished the reputation of Penn State University by displaying how they put winning above everything. An article from the New York Post quotes Kraft saying, “‘Football is our backbone. We’ve invested at the highest level. With that comes high expectations…Ultimately, I believe a new leader can help us win a national championship, and now is the right time for this change.’” Although a fresh perspective and new strategy could be beneficial for the team, it seems as though the university is now endorsing the idea that victories are more important than loyalty to a coach who has led them well for more than a decade.
Penn State University, students, fans, and the community should reflect on this issue. They should consider the impact of the loss of a successful and quality coach. They should consider the consequences for the current players whose season has been disrupted. They should consider the ripple effects this decision will have on future recruits. And, most importantly, they should consider this key question: Is winning everything?
