Samuel Lamar Franklin Jr. (born February 2, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Temple Owls The Temple Owls are the college athletics, athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson (athletic director), Arthur Johnson. The owl has been the symbol and masco ...

. He has also played for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

Early life

Franklin grew up in

Crystal River, Florida Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,396 in the 2020 census, up from 3,108 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Citrus County, Florida, Metrop ...

and attended

Citrus High School Citrus High School (CHS) is a public high school in the town of Inverness, Florida, United States. A part of the Citrus County School District, Citrus High currently offers a four-year curriculum in grades 9-12 and currently has an enrollment ...

, where he played wide receiver, safety and linebacker on the football team. He was recruited by the University of Massachusetts, but failed to qualify academically. He enrolled at East Coast Prep, where he played alongside future Panthers teammate

Myles Hartsfield Myles Hartsfield (born August 5, 1997) is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Ole Miss. Early life Hartsfield grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey and attended Sayreville War Memorial High School, where he played ...

for a

post-graduate year Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

to improve his grades and test scores.

College career

Franklin was a member of the Temple Owls for four seasons, starting as a defensive back before moving to linebacker. As a senior, he was the team's third-leading tackler with 68 tackles and had 7.5 tackles for loss. Franklin finished his collegiate career with 194 tackles including 24 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in 53 games played.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Franklin was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2020, and made the team out of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. On October 18, Franklin had his first meaningful action against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

when

Juston Burris Juston Burris (born August 4, 1993) is an American former professional football safety. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He played in the Natio ...

was injured, making two tackles. In Week 9 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Franklin recorded his first career sack on

Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II ( ; born September 17, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Mahomes has led the Chiefs to seven consecutive AFC Championship Game app ...

during the 33–31 loss. In Week 4 of the 2023 season against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Franklin recorded his first career interception which he then returned 99 yards for his first NFL defensive touchdown. This interception also set the franchise record for longest interception returned for a touchdown. One week later at Detroit, Franklin set a new personal high with eight total tackles, including seven solo stops. On July 29, 2024, Franklin suffered a broken foot during training camp practice. He was placed on injured reserve to begin the season. He was activated on October 26.

Denver Broncos

On April 8, 2025, Franklin signed a one-year contract with the

References

External links

Denver Broncos bioTemple Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Sam 1996 births Living people American football linebackers Temple Owls football players Carolina Panthers players Players of American football from Florida American football safeties Denver Broncos players