James Franklin was fired by Penn State over the weekend following the Nittany Lions' 3-3 start to the season. Franklin had been at Penn State for more than a decade and guided the program to six seasons with double-digit win totals, including the last three years where the school made its first College Football Playoff appearance.
Unfortunately for Franklin, that's not good enough to save your job in 2025. It's the new reality of college football and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who also has some disappointing losses this season with a program facing high expectations, is clearly aware of it.
A reporter asked Sarkisian what these high-profile, in-season firings meant and the Texas coach said it's part of the job before pointing out how close Franklin had gotten Penn State to the top before he was fired.
Thought Steve Sarkisian had a genuine answer when asked about the coaching carousel around the country...
— Cory Mose (@Cory_Mose) October 13, 2025
"The biggest thing I think about when I see coaches getting fired during the season. I think about the players, because they signed up to play for a coach... Three weeks… pic.twitter.com/EZSv7RMOrD
"Obviously, it's a business," said Sarkisian. "And we all understand that. We all know what we sign up for. The biggest thing I think about when I see coaches getting fired during the season. I think about the players, because they signed up to play for a coach and they, it's kind of like, well, are you doing that because you think we can be better now or you think we can be better next year?"
Sarkisian then explained how quickly things can change for a school.
"A year ago they were a final four team and they were in a dog fight to go play for a national championship," continued Sarkisian. "Three weeks ago, 15 days ago, they're a play away from being a top two team, arguably the number one team in the country and today he's no longer the head coach. So that should just tell you about the business that we're in. And understanding the business aspect of it. I hate it for him. I hate it for those players, but that's just the reality of the situation we're in right now."
Penn State lost by three points to Notre Dame in the CFB Playoff semifinals in January. On Sept. 27 they were ranked No. 3 in the country and lost to No. 6 Oregon in overtime.
Texas is coming off an upset win over No. 6 Oklahoma over the weekend after losing to unranked Florida the week before. The Franklin firing makes that win over the Sooners feel very important for Sarkisian.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as James Franklin Firing Had Steve Sarkisian Reflecting on a Coach's Job Security.
