It’s been almost ten days since Penn State fired their 12-year head coach, James Franklin. This decision was made after Penn State went from 3-0 to 3-3. Fans had been calling for his sacking for a while, as ‘Fire Franklin’ chants were heard in almost every game. But despite this, when the Nittany Lions eventually decided to pull the plug on Franklin, he revealed that he was “in shock” and didn’t see it coming when he heard about his dismissal.  This was confirmed by ESPN host Rece Davis.

On the latest edition of ESPN College Football, GameDay host Rece Davis shared his honest thoughts on James Franklin. “I thought that he was humble. It was one of the things he wanted to do, because he is proud of what he accomplished.” Rece Davis said, “He was very concerned prior to the interview about how that would be perceived. I thought he handled himself well. He faced the questions. He told the story about how it happened, and then at the end, I went back and said, ‘The record against top 10 opponents was cited as the reason for your dismissal.’”

Franklin had historically struggled against AP top 10-ranked opponents. His 4-21 record against top 10-ranked opponents includes just one win in 19 games against Big 10 opponents. Their only win came against No.8 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal last year. When it comes to the Top 6-ranked opponents, he hasn’t won a game since October 2016.

Rece further added, “I thought he came off as confident, humbled a little bit, and still a little bit rattled, just to be honest about it.” He confirmed that Franklin was unaware of his firing. Reid said, “I think he’s telling the truth.” Despite all the noise and ‘Fire Franklin’ chants that happened before his dismissal, he had no idea that it was going to happen. “I don’t think he really thought it was going to happen, and so I still perceive that he was a little bit rattled.” However, he believes that some of his fears would go away with time.

If you take a look at Franklin’s twelve years with Penn State, he has some incredible numbers. Under Franklin, Penn State has a 104-45 record, finishing the season with at least 10 wins 6 times. He also helped the program win its first conference title after eight years in 2016, and led the team to the playoffs last year.

Now, the question is, where will James Franklin end up next?

What’s Next for James Franklin?

James Franklin, during his appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay, addressed his future after leaving Penn State. “I don’t know anything else,” Franklin said during ESPN’s College GameDay. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t have hobbies. I don’t golf. I don’t fish. This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it.”

The 53-year-old’s comments seemingly hint at a desire to coach again. With that being said, there is a big speculation circulating on where he might take charge as the head coach. Although we are in mid-season, we could see several job vacancies in the coming cycle. There is no doubt that Franklin will be one of the most sought-after coaches on the market this cycle, and there will be plenty of options for him.

However, based on Front Office Sports’ report, Franklin does have offsets in his buyout, which will be deducted from his compensation from another school. Where do you think Franklin will take the coaching position in the coming cycle? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.