Penn State announced Sunday offensive coordinator and tight ends coach John Donovan has been relieved of his duties.
Donovan served as the Nittany Lions' OC since January 2014, when he followed head coach James Franklin to Penn State from Vanderbilt.
"I have tremendous respect for John and the work he has put in over the last five years," Franklin said in a statement released by the team. "I wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future."
The move comes on the heels of Penn State's three-game losing skid to close out the regular season, as it limped to a 7-5 record. Each PSU loss this season came against a ranked opponent.
Much of the criticism over Donovan has stemmed from his use of junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg. While Hackenberg's touchdown-to-interception ratio was much improved this season, he attempted just 345 passes, resulting in a career-low 2,386 passing yards.
In front of Hackenberg, the offensive line allowed 39 sacks, tied for eighth-worst in the country.
Penn State's offense ranked 100 out of 128 FBS schools, averaging 23.7 points this season. They also finished 82nd in the nation in passing yards per game, and 107th in rushing yards per game.
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Franklin plans to begin a national search this week to find Donovan's replacement.
Penn State suffered its worst loss of Franklin's tenure in its regular-season finale against No. 5 Michigan State on Saturday — a 55-16 defeat.