Penn State just got absolutely throttled 34-13 by Northwestern on Friday night, and if athletic director Pat Kraft isn’t feeling the heat, he should be. This isn’t just a bad loss, it’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder if everyone involved wishes they could hit rewind 51 weeks and do things way different. Because as frustrating as James Franklin could be for Nittany Lions fans, this immediate aftermath under new coach Matt Campbell is looking real, real rough.
The “Grass Is Greener” Gamble That Blew Up
Think back to October 12, 2025. That was the day Penn State fired James Franklin, even though he’d led the program to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024 and maintained a consistent top-15 ranking with a 104-45 record. Yeah, last season he hit a bumpy 3-3 start with a team that was supposed to contend for a national title, and that three-week stretch basically sealed his fate. Kraft made a proactive choice, a huge gamble that Penn State’s brand was strong enough to find an upgrade. He wanted to do better than Franklin’s excuses for not winning enough big ones. But man, when you defy convention to fire a coach just six games after a CFP semi appearance, you better be right. And right now? It just doesn’t look like it.
Matt Campbell’s Rocky Start And A Vanishing Recruiting Class
The coaching search after Franklin’s departure was brutal, lasting over 50 days with a “whole bunch of rejections” before landing on Matt Campbell. He came with a great reputation, even NFL teams had poked around about him during his Iowa State days. But Penn State is a completely different beast: tougher conference, way more scrutiny, a demanding fan base, and much higher stakes. And it shows. Campbell’s first five games have him at a shaky 3-2. Those two losses? To Wisconsin and Northwestern, teams that combined for a humble 11-14 record last season. Not exactly world-beaters, huh? Plus, that highly-rated recruiting class Franklin had put together? Gone. Poof. Replaced by a bunch of transfers Campbell brought with him from Iowa State. It’s a tough pill to swallow when you’re supposed to be a national power.
Kraft’s reasons for wanting a change might have been valid, and yeah, it’s too early to call Campbell a total bust. But let’s be real, in this exact moment, after getting punked by a team that went 11-14 last year, it looks really, really bad. Kraft is gonna feel the full wrath of the Penn State fan base, and he deserves every bit of scrutiny for the rest of this season. This was a bet on an upgrade, and so far, it feels like they cashed out the wrong ticket.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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