James Franklin fired by Penn State: The reasons why, and best memes that followed

The Penn State Nittany Lions officially fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday afternoon, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. The Nittany Lions lost to Northwestern, 22-21, on Saturday to fall to 3-3 on the season. It was their third straight loss. While Franklin's seat was growing noticeably warm, few expected Penn State to pull the plug so soon.

In total, Franklin spent 11.5 seasons as the Nittany Lions head coach. He went 104-45 and won several New Year's Six bowl games. But he also never finished with fewer than two losses. Penn State has consistently excelled, never quite reached the heights of other marquee programs. There was no undefeated campaign. No championship. And now, with the program falling into disarray, the Nittany Lions will look elsewhere.

Penn State's three straight losses came by a combined 12 points. These were not blowouts. A six-point loss to No. 3 Oregon did not set off alarm bells, but a five-point loss to UCLA felt like the seams coming apart. Now a home less to Northwestern is proof that this Penn State team was never built for it. Just eight weeks ago, Penn State began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. Well, the voters get it wrong every now and then. Texas was No. 1 to start the year, lest we forget.

With Franklin's tenure coming to a sudden and unceremonious conclusion, the reactions on Twitter were... loud.

CFB Twitter reacts to Penn State canning James Franklin after three-game skid

Clearly, the opinions on this matter are wide-ranging. Franklin had his supporters in Happy Valley. He did, in fact, win two CFP games last season, bringing the Nittany Lions right to the brink of greatness. But with those championship hopes already dashed in 2025, it's hard to blame the powers that be for yanking the chord and opting for change. Even if it means paying a ludicrous $50 million buyout.

Franklin has become (in)famous for two things: losing two games every season, often to marquee opponents, and for making the occasional arrogant or boneheaded decision. It depends on your point of view, of course. But kicking a field goal from the three-yard line while trailing 28-0? Calling a timeout to ice the opponent's kicker when your team leads 56-0? Those are James Franklin specials.

Penn State has already named Terry M. Smith as interim head coach. He was the associate head coach and cornerbacks coach under Franklin. Smith was a star receiver at Penn State during his playing days and has a long coaching résumé, which includes a decade as Franklin's top assistant in University Park.

It's unclear how exactly the Nittany Lions will proceed. The schedule won't get much easier as conference play heats up. Smith should bring a new perspective and a fresh voice to the locker room, which is clearly needed. But Penn State has deep-rooted personnel issues, and it's unclear if Smith has any real chance of keeping this job long term. There's a good chance he's just the stopgap until Penn State can lure a bigger name in the offseason, keeping the locker room at present shrouded in uncertainty.

However you slice it, though, firing Franklin was the only real choice after this brutal stretch. It was a long time coming. Penn State just needed a real excuse beyond "he can't get over the hump." Now the wheels of time are turnin' and Penn State is moving into a bright new era... at least, one can hope so.