JAMES FRANKLIN has broken his silence on being fired by Penn State.

The college football coach will be handed a staggering $49million payout as his contract was due to run until 2031.
James Franklin has broken his silence on being fired by Penn StateCredit: Getty
Franklin, 53, was sacked after the Nittany Lions were beaten by the Northwestern Wildcats.

The result left the team with a record of 3-3 and was their third consecutive defeat.

He made his first appearance since his firing on ESPN’s College GameDay as a special guest.

Franklin insisted that he “can’t wait” to get back coaching again, despite only just being made unemployed.

He said: “I don’t know anything else.

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I don’t have hobbies. I don’t golf. I don’t fish.

“This has been such a big part of my identity, such a big part of my family. We love it.”

Franklin also revealed that he was told of his dismissal by Penn State by athletic director Pat Kraft.

His firing came before a team meeting last Sunday and left Franklin stunned by the decision.

He added: “I was in shock.

“I’m still working through it myself. It feels surreal.”

ESPN have reported that Franklin has yet to be paid his buyout by Penn State.

The compensation package is the biggest in the history of college football.

Despite the expected boost to his bank account, Franklin is still aiming to win big at his next team.

He said: “I thought we were going to win a national championship there.

“We were close. That goal hasn’t changed.

“We’re just going to go win a national championship somewhere else now.”

His declaration that he wants to return to the touchline comes after it was suggested that he would turn to TV work permanently.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believed he would have been a “natural” as a TV analyst.