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There’s 1 man to blame for Penn State’s coaching search and it’s not James Franklin

Pat Kraft may not have been wrong to fire James Franklin, but Penn State's coaching search is a car wreck and he's at the wheel.

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft, right, laughs with head coach James Franklin | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Is it time for Penn State to regret firing James Franklin? Because it sure feels like it.

Since the program made that shocking decision in October, following a three-game losing streak to open Big Ten play and less than a year removed from a trip to the College Football Playoff Semifinal, seemingly every potential candidate has signed an extension, Franklin has settled in at Virginia Tech and immediately begun raiding Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class, and even off-the-wall candidates like Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and Ohio State OC Brian Hartline have come off the board.