Despite consistent success, Penn State’s collapse with three consecutive Big Ten losses in 2025 led to James Franklin being fired. But AD Patrick Kraft’s decision didn’t come as expected for Franklin. Seven months after his exit from the Lions, the current Virginia Tech head coach reflected on the suddenness of the move.

“The toughest conversation is when there’s no conversation at all,” said Franklin during his Monday appearance on Next Up with Adam Breneman. “We lose a tough game, and then obviously we follow up with another tough loss. 20 minutes before a team meeting, people walk into your office and say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, it’s over.'”

“In 20 minutes, I gotta call my wife; I gotta call my two daughters so they don’t hear it on social media, because they will,” added Franklin. “And then I got to walk up in front of the team, kids, and young men that I love, that I was totally committed to, and say goodbye.”

James Franklin’s firing happened without any prior conversation between PSU officials and the head coach. And you look at his record during his 12 years at the program, the expectation of a meeting isn’t that unreasonable. Franklin guided PSU to six 10-win seasons. But his greatest single-season achievement came in 2016, when the Lions pulled off a historic upset over OSU and went on to win the Big Ten title.

Franklin became the first to reach 100 career victories at the FBS level. Then, in 2024, he led Penn State to its first-ever CFP berth, and 50 players were drafted into the NFL under his watch. He finished his PSU career with a 104–45 overall record and a 64–36 conference record. However, in hindsight, the writing was on the wall.

His tenure became increasingly polarized due to a 1–10 record against OSU. This frustration peaked in 2025 when the team completely collapsed with a disappointing 3–3 start, capped off by a stunning 22–21 home loss to Northwestern after a preseason No. 2 ranking. It’s not for no reason that media was putting him on the hot seat.

“When you give yourself to a place for 12 long times, and you turn down a bunch of jobs, and you build it back to pretty much a consistent top 10 program compete for championships, that’s where you felt blindsided, and you felt like you’d earned at least that a conversation,” added Franklin.

Following his termination, James Franklin didn’t remain unemployed for long. However, that time wasn’t easy for the former PSU head coach.

James Franklin’s biggest confession regarding life after firing

Before being fired, during his final, turbulent moments at the Lions, James Franklin reiterated that his loyalty was strictly tied to the people in the locker room. “Yeah, for me, it’s always been about our players. And those guys are hurting right now. I am committed to those players in that locker room, and I’ve been that way for 12 years. That won’t change.”

However, his on-field struggles didn’t secure his time at Happy Valley. After his firing, the coach’s time was really hard, and he couldn’t even watch his former team’s games.

“I had a hard time watching college football, specifically Penn State. I couldn’t sit back and watch. I could watch college football; I couldn’t watch Penn State”, said Franklin in an interview with Adam Breneman.

Despite all, his goal remains the same.

“I was gonna win a National Championship at Penn State. I’ll just go win a National Championship somewhere else now,” said Franklin.

Now at the Hokies, Franklin takes another shot at rebuilding a program to take it to the heights of college football. Virginia Tech is expecting a return to the Frank Beamer era, and Franklin may just be the right man to lead it.