Penn State fired James Franklin. No one would’ve believed that heading into the season. But one day after a stunning 22-21 home loss to Northeastern, the university cut ties with its 11-year HC, ending a tenure that saw national title hopes morph into midseason despair. The Nittany Lions, once 3-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country, had just dropped back-to-back faceplants to UCLA and Northwestern. That collapse was all it took for Penn State to swallow a staggering $50 million buyout and start over.

But as the dust settled, the conversation turned to the future. In an X post by CBS Sports College Football on October 13, Bud Elliott delivered a brutally honest breakdown that now hangs over James Franklin. “If you’re getting 50 million with no offset,” he said, “you can afford to take a little bit less if you get a prime job if that job comes with certain guarantees of spending. Like if I’m James Franklin, there’s no way in hell I’m taking Arkansas given what they spend on football right now.” And that’s the crux of James Franklin’s crossroads.

Bud Elliott’s point wasn’t just financial but also philosophical. The Razorbacks, who recently axed Sam Pittman, are a proud SEC program that talks like a powerhouse but spends like a middleweight. The CBS analyst argued that James Franklin, flush with a $50 million parachute, can afford to be picky but he should demand proof of commitment before signing anything. “If I’m James Franklin, maybe I take a little bit less salary,” he added. “But I’m like hey, I want 16 rev share and I want 12 NIL on top of that pledge, right? Like that needs to be there so I can compete.” If you want this proven HC, you better open the vault.

James Franklin knows how the modern game works. You don’t win in today’s SEC without an NIL war chest, top-tier facilities, and boosters ready to spend like Georgia on a sugar rush. And for all of Arkansas’s investment talk, Bud Elliott was blunt. The Hogs didn’t spend for Sam Pittman, and they’re unlikely to match the elite-tier commitment Franklin would require. And while Happy Valley was still processing the breakup, the rest of college football was already playing matchmaker for James Franklin.

A job search for James Franklin with strings attached

Arkansas may be one name floated, but it’s far from James Franklin’s best fit. His resume of five Top-10 finishes, a 104-45 record, and the revival of a post-sanctions Penn State demands a school that’s serious about competing, not just existing. Bud Elliott even floated Virginia Tech as a more logical destination, given his past connection with Hokies coach Brent Pry, his former DC. But even that’s complicated; bringing the “Penn State flavor” to Blacksburg has already been tried, and it hasn’t exactly sparked fireworks.

James Franklin could easily take a year off and let the coaching carousel spin with $50 million guaranteed. Still, this remains one of the most shocking firings in college football history. A coach with a 70% win rate, five top-10 finishes, and a playoff berth was ousted midseason because “close” wasn’t cutting it anymore. 

But that’s the modern standard for blueblood programs swimming in private equity dreams and $700 million renovation debt. James Franklin’s legacy at Penn State will always be a paradox.