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Morning Edition

October 13, 2025

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Penn State is facing turmoil on and off the field. The university fired football coach James Franklin on Sunday—triggering a nearly $50 million buyout—while Front Office Sports has learned of growing unrest among the board of trustees over a $300 million Adidas apparel deal approved without full transparency.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]], and Dennis Young [[link removed]]

Penn State Fires James Franklin, Will Pay Nearly $50M Buyout [[link removed]]

Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State has fired James Franklin, opting to pay the embattled football coach a massive buyout of nearly $50 million.

The Nittany Lions fell to 3-3 on the season Saturday, following a third consecutive loss, this time a 22–21 upset loss at home to Northwestern.

The entirety of Franklin’s contract is not public, but his most recent 10-year extension with PSU took effect in January 2022, and he was set to make an $8.5 million salary this season. Franklin’s tenure at PSU began in 2014; he leaves with a 104-45 record, including one Big Ten championship (2016) and one appearance in the College Football Playoff last season.

According to a financial term sheet he signed in 2022, which was obtained by USA Today, Franklin is owed $49.7 million [[link removed]] for being fired without cause. That’s the largest buyout in college sports since Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher $76.8 million [[link removed]] after firing him in 2023.

“Penn State owes an enormous amount of gratitude to Coach Franklin, who rebuilt our football program into a national power,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “He won a Big Ten championship, led us to seven New Year’s Six bowl games and a College Football Playoff appearance last year. However, we hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships.”

Franklin’s buyout had come into the national spotlight [[link removed]] in recent weeks during PSU’s slide, as the preseason No. 2 team in the nation fell outside the AP Top 25 [[link removed]] after just five games.

Off-the-Field Fires, Too

Franklin’s firing coincides with another expensive controversy for PSU [[link removed]] off the field.

Sources recently told Front Office Sports that some members of the school’s board of trustees are outraged by the process behind the decision not to renew its apparel contract with Nike in favor of signing a $300 million deal with Adidas. Those trustees were never shown the full offers from Adidas or Nike—only partial summaries—despite repeated requests, sources said.

PSU sent FOS a lengthy statement from board of trustees chair David Kleppinger and vice chair Rick Sokolov on Saturday night, vigorously denying any misconduct around the deal.

Around the Country

Franklin is the fifth Power 4 football coach to get fired since the 2025 season started:

Penn State: James Franklin Arkansas: Sam Pittman (Sept. 28) Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy (Sept. 23) UCLA: Deshaun Foster (Sept. 14) Virginia Tech: Brent Pry (Sept. 14)

The Pac-12’s Oregon State also fired football coach Trent Bray on Sunday after an 0–7 start, and the AAC’s UAB fired Trent Dilfer midway through his third season.

Meanwhile, Bill Belichick’s status at North Carolina continues to be a topic of conversation [[link removed]], after a 2-3 start to his debut season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were off this weekend before playing at Cal on Friday. If Belichick is fired without cause this year, his buyout will be $20 million [[link removed]] to cover 2026 and 2027—on top of the $10 million he’s paid for this year.

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EXCLUSIVE Penn State, Adidas Deny Wrongdoing Around $300M Apparel Deal

Hanover Evening Sun

On Sept. 5, Penn State and Adidas announced [[link removed]] a “transformational” 10-year apparel agreement to begin in 2026 that will replace the school’s decadeslong relationship with Nike. The deal was widely reported to be worth about $300 million.

In the weeks since, several sources familiar with the contract negotiations have told Front Office Sports that some members of the board of trustees [[link removed]] are outraged by the process behind the decision, and were never shown the full offers from Adidas or Nike—only partial summaries—despite repeated requests. The trustees believe they are entitled to view the documents under Pennsylvania state law. (The school’s own bylaws do not require trustee signoff on athletic deals.)

Those trustees are aggrieved, sources say, over two specific elements of the Adidas and Nike offers that were never disclosed to the board: that the Nike offer included more than $30 million in cash upfront; and that the Adidas contract includes, beginning in 2027, an annual product allotment of $500,000 in retail value for athletic director Patrick Kraft, separate from the $8 million annual product allotment earmarked for the athletic department.

In response to a list of questions sent for this story, Penn State sent FOS a lengthy statement from board of trustees chair David Kleppinger and vice chair Rick Sokolov on Saturday night vigorously denying any misconduct around the deal—and posted it on the school website [[link removed]].

While product allotments are common in school athletic deals, three current and former Power 4 athletic directors told FOS that a $500,000 product allotment attributed to the athletic director is not standard. Adidas did not answer questions from FOS about whether that was common in its agreements with schools.

Leah Beasley, who joined Penn State last month from Oklahoma as a deputy athletic director, spoke to FOS Saturday night and confirmed the $500,000 product allotment as well as the contract wording that it is for the athletic director. “That’s pretty standard for apparel deals, and it is for the discretion of the athletic department, it is not for Pat Kraft personally,” she told FOS. “It is encompassing of many things. It’s for the university and athletic department to take care of coaches, staff, and athletes, it’s for co-marketing dollars, we can do a lot with that money.”

Penn State’s lengthy statement says that the deal “is the best financial and overall partnership for Penn State. Recently circulating rumors suggesting anything else are simply false.”

For more on the board of trustees’ concerns and the Adidas deal, read the full exclusive story by Daniel Roberts and Dennis Young here [[link removed]].

Mark Sanchez Breaks Silence Following Arrest, Hospitalization [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Sanchez spoke publicly for the first time Sunday morning since his arrest and hospitalization following a violent incident in Indianapolis [[link removed]] on Oct. 4.

Sanchez, a Fox Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback, was released from Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital on Sunday morning and immediately taken to Marion County Community Justice Center to be booked and processed for his felony charge [[link removed]].

After leaving the justice center, Sanchez was approached by the Indianapolis-based TV news station FOX59 [[link removed]].

“Right now, I’m just focused on my recovery, and I just want to thank the first responders, Eskenazi Hospital, Marion County Sheriff, and the Indianapolis Police Department, metro PD,” Sanchez said. “But I’m focused on my recovery, and I just want to see my wife, I want to see my son, my two baby girls. There’ll be a day to answer all these questions, and unfortunately, today is not that day.”

Sanchez added, “I guess the real thing here is I just want to thank Dr. [Lindsey] Mossler, the surgeon. She saved my life. So I’m grateful for that. Sorry, I can’t answer all of your questions.”

When asked if he was feeling any better, Sanchez, who was stabbed during the fight, said, “I’m recovering slowly. Long process.”

Court Case to Follow

A pretrial conference for Sanchez’s court case is scheduled for Nov. 5. He is allowed to leave Indiana.

Sanchez faces up to six years in prison for his felony charge. The high-profile incident originally only prompted misdemeanor charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle.

Beyond the felony charge, Sanchez and Fox have been sued by Perry Tole [[link removed]], the other man injured in the Oct. 4 incident, who says Sanchez instigated the encounter. The lawsuit makes claims of assault and battery against Sanchez, and of negligent hiring, retention, and supervision against Fox. It seeks an unspecified amount of damages to be determined at trial, plus attorney’s fees and other relief as deemed just by the court.

Fox Status Unknown

Fox NFL analyst Mark Schlereth filled in for Sanchez [[link removed]] on the network’s telecast of Seahawks-Jaguars on Sunday, alongside play-by-play announcer Chris Myers and sideline reporter Sarah Kustok.

Last week, Brady Quinn subbed in at the last minute for Sanchez, who was originally in Indianapolis to call the Raiders-Colts game alongside Myers and Kustok.

Fox released a short statement [[link removed]] on Oct. 4 and has had on-air broadcasters acknowledge Sanchez’s absence, but has not addressed his employment status in-depth.

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STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado ⬆ The Buffaloes upset No. 22 Iowa State on Saturday, 24-17, following a tough week for coach Deion Sanders [[link removed]], who had to have another surgery to address the return of blood clots in his left foot. The home crowd in Boulder stormed Folsom Field, which Sanders was a fan of, despite an expected $50,000 fine from the Big 12. “I love it,” he said after the game. “I want to see the kids rush the field.”

Brewers ⬆ Milwaukee beat the big-money Cubs 3-1 in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night to advance to the NLCS for the first time since 2018. The Brewers’ 2025 luxury-tax payroll of $146.3 million ranks 21st in MLB [[link removed]], compared to Chicago’s $227.7 million, which ranks 11th.

NBA China ⬆ In the league’s first games in the country since 2019 [[link removed]], a pair of Suns-Nets preseason contests drew crowds of 11,317 on Friday and 11,729 on Sunday, which the NBA said were sellouts at Venetian Arena (which can seat up to 14,000 for some events) in Macao.

Tiger Woods ⬇ The legendary golfer announced he underwent yet another back surgery on Friday, due to a collapsed disc. Woods, 49, gave no timetable for a return to the course. The upcoming TGL season begins Dec. 28, with Woods’s team, Jupiter Links, playing its first match Jan. 13. Woods also ruptured his Achilles [[link removed]] in March.

Conversation Starters How big a problem is the Clippers-Kawhi Leonard scandal [[link removed]] for the NBA? Pablo Torre calls it “the defining scandal of Adam Silver’s tenure as commissioner.” Mark Cuban calls it “zero problem.” Colorado’s bookstore is selling Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter NFL jerseys. Check it out [[link removed]]. Texas Tech mega-booster Cody Campbell believes college sports are in trouble—and the NCAA has no power. Watch to his Front Office Sports Today interview here [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Aces Win WNBA Title, Starting Offseason of Uncertainty [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]] and Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Aces won their third trophy in four years. [[link removed]] Big Ten Vote on Investment From California Pension Expected [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]A vote is expected to happen as early as next week, FOS confirmed. [[link removed]] Judge Dismisses Drake’s Super Bowl Defamation Suit [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The judge said diss tracks aren’t considered facts. Question of the Day

Do you think James Franklin will land another Power 4 coaching job in 2026?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 61% of respondents think the NBA will eventually play regular-season games in China.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Daniel Roberts [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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