According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, James Franklin has been fired as the head coach of Penn State. This comes on the heels of three straight losses, including Saturday at home to Northwestern. They still have to take on the Ohio State football team next month, too.
Fanklin is owed $49 million from his contract, but the Nittany Lions still parted ways with him. Terry Smith is the interim head coach right now, but they will be searching for someone to take the job permanently at the end of the season. That could be bad news for the Buckeyes.
There are two assistant coaches that the Nittany Lions could look to poach. They already took Jim Knowles in the offseason, although that might have been something Knowles might learn to regret. Both coordinators could be on Penn State's radar, though.
Penn State could try to hire either Ohio State coordinator to be their head coach
Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has taken some interviews for head coaching jobs in the past. That was before he was promoted to OC, as well. Penn State could look to bring him in with his track record of recruiting. It might be a bit soon for him to take on such a big job, though.
Losing defensive Matt Patricia is the bigger concern. He is someone who has head coaching experience already at the NFL level. He has kept the Ohio State defense playing at an elite level even after Knowles bailed on the Buckeyes. Patricia would be someone on Penn State's radar.
Patricia certainly has bigger ambitions than being a collegiate coordinator, so the Penn State job would intrigue him. He's a guy who would relish an opportunity to lead a team in some big games, just as he did in the NFL. If he doesn't bolt for the NFL right away, this job would pay him handsomely.
Keeping Patricia is likely not something the Buckeyes can do long-term. The hope is just not to lose another defensive coordinator to Penn State in the offseason. They would much rather see him head to the pros if he wants to leave Columbus.