‘I thought we were going to win a national championship there, we were close,’ Franklin said. ‘That goal hasn’t changed. We’re just going to win a national championship somewhere else now.’
Franklin and Penn State entered the season ranked No. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, but the wheels fell off fast after the Nittany Lions’ nonconference slate. Penn State fell to Oregon in double-overtime at home, before dropping back-to-back games to then-winless UCLA and unranked Northwestern, which led to the school’s decision.
Franklin also notably struggled in big games, with a 4-21 record against top-10 ranked teams.
Franklin made it seem like he’s ready to take on another coaching challenge at a different school, however, he needs to figure a few things out before then.
“To be honest with you, the first thing, is like I need to take a deep breath,’ Franklin said. ‘I need to make sure the people that are around me are in a good place. But after that, I don’t know anything else. 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.
‘So I think it was ‘Take a deep breath’ kind of shock, surreal for a moment, and then it’s, ‘Hey, we gotta get back to doing what we do,’ which is help young people achieve their dreams, get a great education, still balance what college football has become, the student athlete experience and big-time business, but there’s a way to do that, and I can’t wait for that next challenge, and we’re going to go win a national championship at the highest level.”
There are already a handful of coaching openings at Power Four schools, like Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, UCLA and Arkansas, with more likely to come as the season progresses.
Franklin’s next step is unclear, but one thing seems quite clear: He’s focused on getting over the hump at a different program when the opportunities arises.