Even though James Franklin is not the coach of a college football program for the first time since 2010 in the aftermath of his dismissal by Penn State this past week, the former Nittany Lions coach made it clear what the next step for him is.
"I don't know anything else," Franklin said Saturday during an appearance on 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."
And while it may not be clear where exactly his next coaching destination is, the goal for Franklin, unsurprisingly, remains unchanged.
“We’re just going to go win the national championship somewhere else now.”
— ESPN (@espn) October 18, 2025
The goal hasn't changed for James Franklin 👀 pic.twitter.com/RUzsBPDK4y
"I thought we were going to win a national championship there [at Penn State]," Franklin said. "We were close. That goal hasn't changed. We're just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now."
How did Franklin fare during his tenure at Penn State?
Overall, Franklin rates as one of the Nittany Lions' most successful coaches of all time. His 104 wins are tied for the second-most all-time in program history, and his six bowl game victories rank second. Franklin racked up double digit win seasons six times during his tenure with the Nittany Lions.
Unfortunately, Franklin never won a national championship and only made one College Football Playoff appearance, this past season in the expanded 12-team format. His inability to win the big game was a trend that developed over the course of his 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions.
What went wrong? Why did Penn State fire Franklin?
After entering the season ranked second in the country, the Nittany Lions had championship aspirations. And they looked the part through three weeks, until they ran into the Big Ten-rival Oregon Ducks. In a matchup between two top 10 teams, Penn State's defense held strong but the offense couldn't get much of anything going, leading to a 17–3 deficit in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions mounted a furious comeback to send the game to overtime, but continuing the troublesome trend, Franklin's team could not break through against a top 10 opponent.
Then, instead of bouncing back from the hard-fought loss against Oregon, the Nittany Lions proceeded to lose two straight games to unranked opponents against whom they were 20-point-or-more favorites to defeat. Penn State became the first team to lose two such games consecutively in college football history.
Ultimately, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft simply felt the program wasn't moving in the right direction—and made the decision to fire Franklin.
"This is not a three-game thing," Kraft said Monday. "This is really diving into where we are as a program—what is the trajectory of this program?
And while Franklin admitted he was still in "shock" after the firing, he made it absolutely clear what his next career move is.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s new college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as James Franklin Boldly Declares Goal for Next Coaching Stint After Penn State Firing.