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Pat Kraft destroyed what was left of Penn State football.
I've been a fan and around Penn State football players since 1994.
Tied for No. 1 with Nebraska, and we didn't end up getting the top spot. But college football was emerging slowing and evolutionarily into the playoff base and even beyond that to making college football less amateur and more professional.
Kraft is literally showing the entire nation how not to athletically direct an ailing and down-trended football team.
The right time to fire a head coach is after the season.
You simply announce it after discussing with the head coach that he will be no longer needed at that time.
Young men are human people. You don't treat young people like this.
Take a survey of the Penn State football team and see what they think of the decision ahead of Ohio State and mighty Indiana.
Thirty minutes after James Franklin was fired, I watched Liam Clifford and two other Nittany Lions looking solemn and completely in shock in the Lasch Building parking lot.
Kraft left the team without its leader by making the not smart but popular decision to fire Franklin.
I think the morale of Penn State football is dead.
As a Penn State alumnus, the leadership Franklin brought to the table was unparalleled for athletes like former safety and friend Jonathan Sunderland, who received hate mail from racist alums because he had dreadlocks.
Jonathan and I spoke frequently about all of the variables that surround playing football at Penn State, and he was extremely grateful that Coach Franklin had his back.
Mark my words so that Pat Kraft feels better. Matt Rhule will be the next Penn State football coach.
It's comforting.
Jordan Fortson
State College
Franklin deserved better
In 2016, Lawrence Phillips was found dead in his cell in Los Angeles, California.
He had been in prison on suspicion of killing his cellmate. As a running back during the 1994 and 1995 college football season, he had led Nebraska and coach Tom Osborne to two straight national championships.
In reality, he had no business being on a college campus other than for playing football and scoring touchdowns on Saturday afternoon.
Which brings me to the latest coaching conundrum at Penn State.
In 1963, I was an undergrad at Penn State. Rip Engle was the head football coach.
Every now and then our paths would cross in Rec Hall. Rip was a very distinguished looking gentleman with silvery hair and watery blue eyes.
He was also an outstanding football coach.
When Joe Paterno replaced Engle in 1964, his football raison detre was win with class, lose with dignity, student first, athlete second.
Two weeks ago, collegiate coaching legend Nick Saban used his platform on ESPN's College GameDay to rip Penn State University over the shameful and classless dismissal of James Franklin.
As PSU head coach, Franklin won all the games that he was supposed to win. But he had trouble winning the marquee matchups with opponents like Michigan and Ohio State and, of course, last year's playoff loss to Notre Dame.
Franklin never won a national championship during his reign in Happy Valley. But he never did anything to make an alum like me feel ashamed of my old school.
Good luck, Coach Franklin. You will be missed.
You really are Penn State.
Bill Behe
Deerfield Beach. Florida
Altoona needs new direction
It's time to address the elephant in the room -- the Altoona Area High School football and boys basketball programs are borderline embarrassing.
Let's start at the top. It's time Athletic Director Phil Riccio stops hiring his favorite alumni and finally brings in some fresh new faces.
Look at past history.
John Swogger came in and made a powerhouse basketball program, and Ed Dalton came in and made a championship football program.
These current teams would have trouble competing with the smaller schools in the area, let alone going up against these powerful teams we compete against now.
Let's get some fresh blood in here and turn this thing around.
Richard Wilkes
Altoona