Author’s Note: this was written for the November issue.
After twelve seasons with Penn State, consistently in the upper ranks but never winning a national championship, James Franklin was fired last month. The Lions had tumbled into a three-game losing streak after a double overtime loss to Oregon. Since they were projected as the second-ranked team going into the season, Franklin seemed to be the problem. Alongside his termination came a nearly fifty million dollar payout, the second highest in college football history.
It’s hard to imagine what could have resulted in such a dramatic and costly firing, but even after such a long time at Penn State, Franklin remained underwhelming. In big games versus opponents like Ohio State and Oregon, Franklin fumbled, going 4-21 overall against top ten teams. While able to recruit impressive players, he was unable to turn their skill into any defining moments. But, this season seemed like it could be different; the Lions came into fall with a high preseason ranking and a talented and experienced roster. Instead, the team followed up their Oregon defeat with losses to unranked UCLA and Northwestern, sealing Franklin’s fate.
While shocking, Franklin’s payout for being forced off of the team is not uncommon among elite football coaches. Kirby Smart, the head coach at the University of Georgia, would be paid around one hundred million dollars if they fired him. Alongside Franklin, seven other big-time football coaches have been fired in the past season, a dramatic shift from the previous calm.
Nowadays, the real stars of college football are the coaches, who stay constant while players come and go. Due to these trends of firing coaches partway through their season or contract, the problem is worsening. Elite coaches don’t want to be left unprotected, especially with the new player compensation to compete with.
So, what’s next for college football? With coaches unwilling to budge monetarily on top of a new age of transfer portals, money for their name, image, and likeness, and player compensation, it’s hard to say. Still, there are possibilities for another model of coaching and compensation. For one, the coaching position might change, focusing more on the money-focused aspects of the game. Maybe there will always be a school willing to pay, but someday the programs might run out of money to keep throwing at coaches. Perhaps coaches will start getting rewarded for their achievements, incentivizing them to push even harder for that national championship. It’s hard to predict whether James Franklin’s story will be notable in a few years with the changing college football climate, but it could be the first step down one of these possible paths.