After a dream start to the college football season for the Nittany Lions of Penn State, everything went wrong for the team from Pennsylvania. Head coach James Franklin had his seat quite hot and it ultimately led to him losing his job. Earlier this month, Franklin was fired by Pennsylvania State University, with a three-game losing streak to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern ending things in pretty weird fashion.
| Next Florida hire | |||
| Lane Kiffin | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| James Franklin | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Jeff Brohm | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Jedd Fisch | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
How long will Franklin be out of a job? Well, the James Franklin to Florida rumors have college football fans talking. Could Franklin head to the SEC from the Big Ten? That’s certainly in play, as the Gators of Florida decided to fire Billy Napier over the weekend. There are plenty of candidates high on their list, with Franklin on it. It will be interesting to see, no doubt, if they go after him or not.
Allegedly the list is this per @NanduriNFL
Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin
Georgia Tech HC Brent Key
Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz
Former Penn State HC James FranklinInteresting… pic.twitter.com/uC9wWuEdZm
— Florida Gators 🐊🔥 (@gatorsszn) October 21, 2025
James Franklin being hired by the Florida Gators would make plenty of sense
This past weekend before the Ole Miss vs. Georgia game in Athens, Georgia, Franklin appeared on College GameDay and he was pretty open about how things ended with the Nittany Lions. On top of that, he didn’t hesitate in letting everyone know that he still has a ton of passion for coaching and his goals haven’t changed now that he’s no longer with Penn State University. Still, he was surprised he was let go.
“To think essentially six games ago we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship, a two-minute drive away,” Franklin said while he was speaking with the College GameDay crew. “So that’s the thing. Twelve years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of big wins. But decisions were made. And I’m not involved in those decisions.”
Franklin isn’t the only one being linked to the opening. There has been a lot of buzz regarding Lane Kiffin, who the top sports betting sites have as the favorite to land the job, who is currently the head coach of the University of Mississippi. Kiffin appears to be happy with the Rebels, but if Florida puts enough money in front of him to change SEC teams, would he consider it?
That’s what a lot of people are wondering. An underdog candidate here might be Jedd Fisch from the University of Washington. Florida is his alma mater and reports have indicated that he’s always had his eyes on that job. He will be someone to keep an eye on moving forward.
Both Florida and Penn State had great NCAAF betting odds to reach the CFP, but now the two teams are looking for new coaches to lead their teams. It’s a shock how everything has transpired, but athletic director for the University of Florida Scott Stricklin needs to make an impressive hire to replace Napier. Will it end up being Franklin? Plenty of Gators fanatics would be happy if Stricklin hires James Franklin.
Looking for more betting info? Be sure to check out sportsbook reviews for any questions you might have.
Sports Betting Sites 