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Less than 12 months after Penn State came a possession away from reaching the national championship game, the Nittany Lions did the seemingly unthinkable -- they fired James Franklin.

Not even a $50 million buyout was a deterrent for the Nittany Lions brass after the preseason No. 2 team lost three straight games to fall to 3-3, including back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern as a 20-point favorite. 

Even with those recent losses, it's still one of the most shocking firings of the century in college football, a flare into the sky of Happy Valley that a 70% win percentage in State College without championship results isn't good enough. 

It's also a cannonball dropped into the already bubbling waters of the 2025 coaching cycle. Not only is Penn State open. But Franklin is an available candidate for every other open job ahead of what's expected to be one of the zaniest coaching carousels of the College Football Playoff era. Behind Curt Cignetti, who industry sources have heavily linked to Penn State, he'll be one the top candidates available in a cycle that see plenty of Power Four coaches poached for other Power Four jobs. 

It's easy to dunk on Franklin for what he hasn't done. There are the 15 straight losses to AP Top 6 teams, the 1-10 record against Ohio State and only one conference championship in 11 seasons.

There was also a lot of winning. 

Don't forget that Penn State was a disaster after the firing of Joe Paterno in 2011. Bill O'Brien helped steady the program for two years, but Franklin did the work of rebuilding the foundational structure of the program. And he did nothing but win while improving the stability of the program. He had only one losing season in 11 years, and that was during a weird 2020 COVID season.

Yeah, Franklin failed to beat the best teams. But until this October, he almost always beat everyone else. That's really hard to do in college football, especially in a conference like the Big Ten. 

Franklin finished in the top 12 of the CFB Playoff rankings seven of the last nine years. That's consistency all but five or 10 teams nationally would be thrilled with.

In a cycle where more than a dozen Power Four jobs are expected to come open, Franklin should be the first call for a lot of athletic directors.

As one agent texted in the moments after Franklin's firing: "There's no way he goes to Florida, right?"

Franklin is exactly the type of head coach Florida should consider.

He's the ultimate floor-raiser. Vanderbilt has only two nine-win seasons post 1915. Both came under Franklin's direction, and he did in just three seasons with the Commodores. For all of Penn State's advantages, it lagged Ohio State and Michigan in terms of resources for most of Franklin's tenure. That wouldn't be the case at a Florida, a program that invests at an annual national championship level. Given Franklin the type of talent that's already present on Florida's roster, and the Gators will instantly be in the SEC conversation, a place they haven't been in at least half a decade. 

If I'm Arkansas, UCLA, Virginia Tech or even a Wisconsin, which could open, I'm hoping Franklin is willing to consider me.

Perhaps Franklin wants to go a little closer to home. Maryland once named Franklin its coaching-in-waiting. That divorce got a bit ugly late, but if Mike Locksley doesn't win down the stretch, the Terps could try to bring Franklin back to the DMV, where he's as connected as anyone.

Virginia Tech is worried about getting left behind in football as the ACC changes its revenue sharing structure to reward teams that get the best TV ratings. Franklin is exactly the type of splash hire -- not to mention a regional fit -- who can raise the floor and ceiling of a Hokies program that's largely floundered since Frank Beamer's departure.

If UCLA wants to seriously invest in football, there's no better option out there than Franklin, someone who's proven he can win with less resources than his peers.

Suppose none of those jobs (or the many that will open over the next few months) interest Franklin, the 53-year-old can be patient. 

There's nothing stopping him from banking the $50 million, taking a year off to do consulting or TV work and then returning to football in 2027 as the unquestioned top coach on the market.

All eyes will be on Penn State's next steps following an unprecedented firing for a program that's had only four head coaches since 1950. A shortlist of candidates has emerged, headlined by Matt Rhule. Franklin's next move is just as interesting. Somebody's about to get a better coach than they could have dreamed. 

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