For Penn State to fire James Franklin, it would have to pay an absurd amount of money to buy him out.
When Penn State singed Franklin to a 10-year extension in November 2021, part of the deal was that he would be owed eight million for every year on his contract.
Every year, it gets a little less expensive.
But right now, it would cost $56 million. If Penn State AD Pat Kraft were to wait until Jan. 1, it would go down to $48 million, but in modern college football, waiting to fire a coach until after December and all the transfer portal craziness seems unwise.
There’s only one school that’s fired a coach whose buyout was anywhere near what Franklin’s is.
JIMBO
When Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher in November 2023, it cost the school $76 million dollars. That is, far and away, the most expensive firing in college football history, and if Penn State does pull the trigger, it would still be the most expensive. Next to Fisher, the biggest buyout came via Auburn firing Gus Malzahn, which cost $54 million less.
Things haven’t been great for Auburn since. The program wiffed on hiring Malzahn’s replacement, with Bryan Harsin not even lasting two full seasons before getting the axe. Hugh Freese is the man in Auburn now, and he started his run with back to back losing seasons.
Things have been better for A&M, though.
THE ELKO ERA
One thing Penn State fans will point to is how well things have gone for Texas A&M since Fisher’s firing. A&M replaced Fisher with Mike Elko, who had been at Duke for the previous two seasons. It’s still early, but A&M is rolling under Elko right now. The Aggies are 5-0 and ranked No. 5, and many Penn State fans will point to this success as a reason for PSU to pull the trigger on Franklin.
With that said, $56 million is a ton of money, and it’s hard to see Penn State firing Franklin because it just isn’t something that happens in college football.
As far as anybody knows, James Franklin will be the coach for Penn State Saturday against Northwestern. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 on FS1 from Beaver Stadium.
