It certainly helps with HS recruiting but probably doesn't matter with the transfer portal.
Anyway here's an article that talks about how Penn State crumbled.
tl;dr version - they were tight as a drum coming into the season due to expectations and just imploded after the Oregon loss.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46607047/college-football-james-franklin-departure-penn-state
Buffalo Bills (14) vs Atlanta
Detroit Lions (17) vs Kansas City
Tennessee Titans (10) vs Las Vegas
Cleveland Browns (9) vs Pittsburgh
Baltimore Ravens (3) vs Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams (17) vs Baltimore
Jacksonville Jaguars (12) vs Seattle
Denver Broncos (13) vs New York Jets
New York Jets (11) vs Denver
Philadelphia Eagles (17) vs New York Giants
A bit more on Franklin - apparently he was given a ton of money for transfers and didn't really pursue them. Worse, some of the ones they wanted to target ended up on that same Oregon team that beat them in Happy Valley.
1. UCLA lost to Northwestern
2. UCLA plays both Indiana and Ohio State
3. UCLA still controls their own destiny
4. UCLA could make the playoffs with losses to New Mexico, UNLV, and Northwestern
That is all.
They also broke the bank to steal the DC from Ohio State and brought back a ton from last year’s team including their starting QB.
Now they are 3-3, winless in conference, and it’s impossible for them to meet any of their goals.
The season couldn’t have been teed up better for a national title run and he blew it.
This was a well deserved firing.
That win at Oregon is the very definition of a statement win. Illinois will lose to Washington but then probably win out. They're still a good team and Indiana absolutely destroyed them.
Manny Diaz has popped up on a number of lists to replace Franklin.
Link is to a Miami Hurricanes blog and they share the same reaction that most of us do: "WTF?"
2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal
Adidas makes Nike look like choir boys. I wouldn’t be surprised if they bullied Franklin out of a job.