Nick Saban had James Franklin's back during a viral ESPN CollegeDay interview at Athens. The legendary head coach expressed displeasure at the Nittany Lions' decision to fire Franklin after six games in the 2025 college football season.Saban said,"It’s unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, get in the Final Four. Come out, being ranked number one this year: an expectation that you created by what you accomplished at Penn State, and for those people not to show enough appreciation for that and gratitude for all the hard work that you did, I’m saying it’s unfair.”Saban used the opportunity to list Franklin's achievements at Penn State and how these weren't considered after a mixed start to the ongoing campaign. Franklin was shown the door after his side was beaten by Northwestern in their sixth game.He left the Nittany Lions with a 104–45 record, one Big Ten championship, and a Big Ten East title. The Nittany Lions are now searching for a replacement.James Franklin is confident of winning a national championship in his next jobJames Franklin spoke about his future plans during his College GameDay appearance. The veteran head coach said he thought he'd win a national championship at Penn State, but now he's considering doing so with another program.Franklin said,"I thought we were going to win a national championship there, we were close. That goal has not changed. We are just going to win a national championship somewhere else now."Franklin lost his job after losing three games (all to conference opponents) in the ongoing season. Penn State then decided to move in a new direction. The 2016 Woody Hayes Trophy winner is open to coaching again, but he'll need to sort out a few things first. He said,"To be honest with you, the first thing, is like I need to take a deep breath. I need to make sure the people that are around me are in a good place."There will likely be a few top-notch job vacancies at the end of the season. James Franklin will be a priority hire during that period, and he'll have the opportunity to build his next team through the high school pathway and transfer portal.However, for now, the former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach will likely be recharging and making the occasional TV appearance.