Penn State Players React to Head Coach James Franklin Being Fired

Current and former members of the Penn State football team reacted to the firing of the head coach James Franklin After a disastrous start to the season.

Franklin, 53, was fired on Sunday, Oct. 12, after three straight losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.

Penn State entered the season ranked No. 2 in the news agency“Top 25 poll and was one of the bettors’ favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Franklin has been the head coach at Penn State since 2014.

Penn State junior quarterback Tony Rojas He was among the players who took to social media with an emotional message after news of Franklin’s dismissal was announced.

“S—- heartbreaking and it doesn’t even feel real.” Rojas, 20, wrote via X on Sunday. “I appreciate you coach for this opportunity and your good treatment of me and my family 🤞🏼 He was not just a great coach but someone who cares about us as players and wants to develop us as men off the field as well.. 😒”

Penn State senior quarterback Drew Allard — who was taken off the field during the team’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 11, and ruled out for the rest of the season — posted several tributes to Franklin via his Instagram Story on Sunday.

Allar, 21, posted a recent photo of himself and Franklin laughing in the locker room, captioning: “🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.”

Assistant quarterbacks coach at Penn State Track McSorleywho played quarterback under Franklin at Penn State from 2015 to 2018, posted an emotional message via social media.

“Coach, I really have no 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 by my side at my highest and lowest points on and off the field. You showed me what hard work, dedication, loyalty and leadership look like.”

McSorley added: “I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else in the world. It always starts with ‘I love you’ and it ends with ‘I love you’. ‘Love you, coach!’

Former Penn State defensive end Micah Parsonswho is now an NFL star for the Green Bay Packers, showed his support for his old coach on social media.

“No matter the current situation, this situation doesn’t seem right to me!” Parsons, 256, wrote via X on Sunday. “Coach deserves better! I and countless others would not be where we are today without Coach! Thank you.”

Penn State announced Franklin’s firing Sunday afternoon, calling it a “change in football leadership.”

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Penn State quarterback Drew Allard had his high school sweetheart by his side throughout his impressive college football journey. Allard, 20, and his girlfriend, Emma Bush, began dating in September 2019 while they were students at Medina High School in Medina, Ohio. From there, Allard enrolled at Penn State University in 2022 and became […]

“Penn State owes a great deal of gratitude to Coach Franklin who has rebuilt our football program into a national power,” Vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft He 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 standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to push us toward the Big Ten and national championships.”

Franklin finished his tenure at Penn State with a 104-45 record, making him the second-winningest coach in Penn State football history.

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 State.