James Franklin said Saturday he was shocked when Penn State fired him hours after a loss in which the Nittany Lions also lost quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury, but that he cannot wait to coach again elsewhere.

The James Franklin era at Penn State came to an end last weekend when the Nittany Lions fired their coach of 12 years. Franklin left an indelible mark on the program in nearly all the right ways, rebuilding it into a perennial Big Ten and national championship contender after a period of turmoil.

The Nittany Lions showed willingness to adapt without James Franklin, but it remained problematic in a fourth straight loss.

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith lamented a "very disappointing loss" on Saturday to Iowa in the Nittany Lions' first game after James Franklin's firing.

Penn State's coaching search enters Week 2, which means it's just getting started. James Franklin is off to find a new place to win a national championship, and Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft is conducting an insulated process to identify his successor.

Kemon Spell decommitted from the Penn State Nittany Lions last week after the program fired head coach James Franklin. Spell, who is from McKeesport, PA, had been committed to Penn State for over a year.

Gone are the days of Florida State and Clemson dominating the league, with programs like Virginia and Georgia Tech now having a real shot at the College Football Playoff via the ACC Championship Game. There’s no reason why Virginia Tech couldn’t return to that conversation with the right coach.

As the team headed to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes, Penn State players and coaches wore t-shirt with the word "IF" in bold letters on the front. Since the team's coach literally just got fired, do these shirts have anything to do with Franklin?