{"id":198837,"date":"2025-10-13T17:02:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/13\/penn-state-players-react-to-head-coach-james-franklin-being-fired\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T17:02:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:02:57","slug":"penn-state-players-react-to-head-coach-james-franklin-being-fired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/13\/penn-state-players-react-to-head-coach-james-franklin-being-fired\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn State Players React to Head Coach James Franklin Being Fired"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Current and former members of the Penn State football team have reacted to the firing of head coach James Franklin<\/strong><\/a> after a disastrous start to the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Franklin, 53, was fired on Sunday, October 12, following three consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Penn State entered the season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press<\/i>\u2019 top 25 poll and were one of the betting favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Franklin had been the head coach at Penn State since 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Penn State Coach Criticized for Response After Former Players\u2018 Rape Charges<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tPenn State football coach James Franklin is under fire for his response to two of his former players being charged with rape. Franklin, 52, addressed the media on Wednesday, October 23, following the team\u2019s practice. When taking the podium, Franklin was asked about the recent rape charges filed against Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys, who [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Penn State junior linebacker Tony Rojas<\/strong> was among the players who took to social media with an emotional message after news of Franklin\u2019s firing was announced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cS\u2014- heartbreaking and dont even feel real.\u201d Rojas, 20, wrote via X<\/a> on Sunday. \u201cI appreciate you coach for the opportunity and being so good to me and my family \ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffcwasnt just a great coach but someone who cared about us players and wanted to develop us as men off the field too.. \ud83d\ude12\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Penn State senior quarterback Drew Allar<\/strong> \u2014 who was carted off the field during the team\u2019s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday, October 11, and ruled out for the remainder of the season \u2014 posted multiple tributes to Franklin via his Instagram Story<\/a> on Sunday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Allar, 21, posted a recent photo of himself and Franklin laughing in the locker room captioned: \u201c\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffc\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffc\ud83e\udd1e\ud83c\udffc.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Penn State assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley<\/strong>, who played quarterback under Franklin at Penn State from 2015 to 2018, posted an emotional message via social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCoach, I really don\u2019t have words to express my gratitude,\u201d McSorley, 30, shared via Instagram<\/a> on Sunday. \u201cYou believed in me when others didn\u2019t. You pushed me to be the best player and man I could be. You were there for me at my highest and lowest points on and off the field. You showed me what hard work, dedication, loyalty, and leadership looks like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McSorley added, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have wanted to play for anybody else in the world. It always starts with I love you and ends with I love you. Love you Coach!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Former Penn State defensive end Micah Parsons<\/strong>, who is now a superstar in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, showed his support for his old coach on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the situation at hand, this one doesn\u2019t feel right to me!\u201d Parsons, 256, wrote via X<\/a> on Sunday. \u201cCoach deserved better! My self and countless others wouldn\u2019t be where we are today without Coach! Thank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Penn State announced Franklin\u2019s firing on Sunday afternoon, calling it \u201ca change in football leadership.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Penn State QB Drew Allar and Girlfriend Emma Bush\u2018s Relationship Timeline<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tPenn State quarterback Drew Allar has had his high school sweetheart by his side throughout his impressive college football journey. Allar, 20, and his girlfriend, Emma Bush, started dating in September 2019 when the pair were students at Medina High School in Medina, Ohio.\u00a0 From there, Allar enrolled at Penn State in 2022 and became [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cPenn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin who rebuilt our football program into a national power,\u201d Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft<\/strong> said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cHe won a Big Ten Championship, led us to seven New Year\u2019s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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