James Franklin's Buyout, Contract Details After Losses to Northwestern, UCLA

Penn State's serious struggles during the 2025 season continued on Saturday.

Head coach James Franklin's squad suffered a 22-21 loss to Northwestern at home after coming off a 42-37 defeat at the hands of unranked UCLA on Oct. 4.

The Nittany Lions are now on a three-game losing streak and Franklin finds himself on the hot seat in a big way.

If he were fired without cause, his buyout would be just under $50 million as of Oct. 4 (via USA Today's Ehsan Kassim). Franklin currently earns $8.5 million per year on a contract that runs through Dec. 2031.

Franklin took accountability for the loss when speaking to reporters after the game.

"I take full responsibility for what's happened tonight," Franklin said, via 247Sports' Daniel Gallen. "I take full responsibility for what's happened this season, and I'm committed to the guys in that locker room."

Penn State is now 3-3 after winning each of its first three games of the year, with all three losses coming against Big Ten opponents.

It's a particularly disappointing start for the Nittany Lions considering they made a Big Ten Championship Game appearance last season before advancing to the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

Franklin is in the midst of his 12th year patrolling the sidelines for Penn State, owning an overall record of 104-45 at the school. The Nittany Lions recorded at least 10 wins in each of the past three seasons.

They haven't been able to consistently move the chains as often this year compared to 2024, averaging 389 yards per game heading into Saturday's action after recording 430.2 yards per game last season.

Penn State also picked up just 274 total yards against Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions will look to bounce back as they enter a difficult portion of their schedule, with a game against Iowa on Oct. 18 followed up by clashes with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 7 Indiana.