Money be damned.
That seems to be Penn State's approach today with its football program and coach James Franklin.
Sources confirmed to FootballScoop Sunday afternoon that Franklin had been terminated by Penn State officials, despite Franklin''s being owed approximately $50 million by the school as part of the renegotiated and extended contract Franklin had received last year.
Penn State, which opened its season as the consensus preseason No. 2 team in college football, instead plummeted from national rankings a week ago when it lost at UCLA.
The Bruins were previously winless, already had fired their head coach and had yet to hold a lead against any team in the course of the year.
Instead, they raced to an 27-7 lead against Penn State and held on for an 42-37 triumph.
Penn State followed up Saturday with a home loss to Northwestern, 22-21.
By game's end, Penn State fans chanted for Franklin's firing, and he responded to pointed questions about his future at Penn State after the game in his postgame press conference.
"Yeah, again, I take full responsibility for what happened (Saturday)," said Franklin, who said he wished to take away the players' pain and vowed to fix Penn State. "I take full responsibility for what’s happened this season, and I’m committed to the guys in that locker room."
Franklin hired vaunted defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from reigning College Football Playoff Champion Ohio State last January, replacing Tom Allen who departed for Clemson after one season on Franklin's staff.
Franklin just a few years ago also hired away Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas to run the Penn State offense.
But the Nittany Lions hardly have been explosive, despite a talented offensive line and the return of quarterback Drew Allar as well as tailbacks Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen -- all three of whom have been considered NFL Draft prospects of varying degrees.
Allar was injured late in Saturday's win and lost for the season; this deep into the 2025 campaign, it's unlikely Allar could receive a medical redshirt nor is it believed he would seek to return to college for a sixth year.
Franklin had served atop the Penn State program since 2014, when he was hired away from Vanderbilt to take over for Bill O'Brien after O'Brien steered the Nittany Lions through controversial times before he left for the NFL.
Franklin consistently had the Penn State program in the postseason but rarely challenged for national championships; he's infamously bad against top 25 competition. Franklin has posted just a 4-21 mark against AP Top 10 teams in his tenure atop Penn State.
But he was coming off his best season atop the Nittany Lions. Penn State played for the Big Ten Championship last December and then made a run to the CFP Semifinals, where it blew a 10-point lead and loss to Notre Dame, 27-24, in the Orange Bowl.
That defeat robbed Penn State of a chance to rematch against Ohio State for the national title, and it also started what became a career-ending slide at Penn State for Franklin.
He lost his final four games against Power Conference foes, and he ended his Penn State tenure 104-45.