The Penn State Nittany Lions entered a new chapter this past weekend, parting ways with longtime head football coach James Franklin following three consecutive losses.
Franklin was in his 12th season as Penn State's head coach. In Year 11, he led his program to a 13-3 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
After starting the 2025 season 3-0, the Nittany Lions suffered losses to the Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins and Northwestern Wildcats -- ultimately ending Franklin's long-standing tenure in Happy Valley.
On Monday, Ryan Day, the head coach of Penn State's Big Ten rival Ohio State, was asked his thoughts about Franklin's dismissal.
"James, anytime you are somewhere for as long as he has, he did a lot of great things," Day said, via Ohio State reporter Chase Brown. "We had a lot of great games against each other. He's gonna land on his feet. He's a really good coach."
"But then you got to get back to work. That's the world we live in," Day continued. "It's something that, I think, for all of us, we need to make sure we focus on what matters to us and what's at hand. I said it before, whether it's the negative things or the positive things or things like that, those are all kind of noise out there. ... There's a lot that comes at you, whether you're a player or a coach, our ability to focus and concentrate on what's important is what's critical, so that's what we got to do."
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One of the biggest knocks against Franklin was his inability to produce results in high-profile Big Ten rivalry games.
Day's Buckeyes went 6-0 against Franklin's Nittany Lions. Last year, Ohio State traveled to Beaver Stadium and took down Penn State 20-13.
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Day and his reigning-champion Buckeyes are 6-0 to start the 2025 season, fresh off a 34-16 road-game victory over No. 17 Illinois this past weekend. On Saturday, No. 1 Ohio State will face off against the unranked Wisconsin Badgers in Madison.
The Buckeyes will welcome interim head coach Terry Smith and the Nittany Lions to Ohio Stadium for a Big Ten matchup on Nov. 1.