It’s now been a month since James Franklin was fired as Penn State’s head coach.

Since then, it’s been pretty bleak for Penn State football. A team that came into the year with National Championship aspirations now sits at 3-6 following a heartbreaking loss to No. 2 Indiana. Penn State decided to fire James Franklin after the loss to Northwestern in mid-October that capped a disappointing 3-3 start.

A lot has happened since the firing, so let’s recap everything that’s unfolded regarding Penn State football in the last month and where the program can go from here.

Terry Smith Steps In

Following Franklin’s firing on October 12, Terry Smith, the former associate head coach, took over as interim head coach. Smith is 0-3 since taking over; however, it’s unfair to judge his performance solely on that record. Smith stepped into a poor situation, immediately filling in as head coach following Drew Allar’s season-ending injury. This threw redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer right into the fire against a brutal schedule. The Nittany Lions have played the top two teams in the nation and went on the road in a tough environment against Iowa.

Despite the three losses, Penn State has shown great fight over the past few weeks, and the players have seemed to rally around Smith as their new head coach. Regardless, the Nittany Lions are on their longest losing streak since 2004 and will need to win out to become bowl-eligible. We’ll see if Smith and the rest of the team have it in them to close the season on a positive note.

Recruitment Fallout

Arguably, the biggest impact following Franklin’s departure is the negative impact on recruiting high school talent. Recruiting was maybe Franklin’s biggest strength; he landed numerous high-profile recruits in his time at Penn State, which played a major role in the turnaround the program had under his tenure.

Following the announcement of his firing, Penn State has had 11 players in the class of 2026 decommit and four players in the class of 2027, according to On3. This includes several blue-chip players, the highlight of which is five-star running back Kemon Spell, who ranks as the best running back in the class of 2027. He decommitted shortly after Franklin’s firing.

This fallout in recruiting has created an uncertainty surrounding the future of Penn State football. However, it’s likely recruitment will pick up after the season when the new coach of the Nittany Lions is announced, and there is more security in the coaching staff.

Search For A New Coach

Obviously, after a vacancy in the coaching staff emerges, there will be a lot of speculation among fans regarding who will fill the role. Many names and ideas have been thrown around for who will be the next coach in Happy Valley.

Some candidates for the job include Brian Hartline, the current Ohio State offensive coordinator, and Brent Key, the current Georgia Tech head coach. Even Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s name has been thrown around. All three are intriguing options for Penn State, but it might be hard to pull any away from their current positions.

Other names that have been circulated are Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule, the head coaches for Indiana and Nebraska, respectively. However, rumors about those two coaches were cut short when both signed extensions with their current teams.

It’s also important to consider the possibility that the Nittany Lions simply continue moving forward with Terry Smith as head coach. This move would likely spark controversy among fans for not being flashy or particularly interesting, but Smith has done an admirable job so far, and we will see if he can continue to make strides to have a promising end to the season. This option is probably unlikely, however, simply due to the bump in transfers and recruitment Penn State would get from hiring outside of the program.

In Penn State football’s first press conference following Franklin’s firing, Pat Kraft expressed high hopes for Penn State’s next coach: “We’ll find a coach who can achieve excellence at the highest level.” Only time will tell if his wish will come into fruition, and Happy Valley gets a coach they can be proud of.

Outlook Going Forward

Penn State is currently stuck between eras, and the future surrounding the program is very uncertain. Regardless of what happens the rest of the year, Penn State football has maybe the biggest offseason in program history ahead of it. These next few months could determine how the program stands for years to come, but if the right decisions are made with replacing Franklin, his dream of taking the next step and going from great to elite might finally be realized. Just not with him as the leader.