Jerry Franklin (born January 10, 1988) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

who is currently a free agent in the

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(NFL). He was originally signed by the

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as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2012. Franklin played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. He also was on the children's television program ''

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High school career

Franklin attended Marion High School, where he was named the Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year and the 6A East Back of the Year as a senior. Considered a three-star recruit by ''

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'', Franklin was listed No. 38 among safety prospects in the nation.

College career

Originally recruited as a defensive back, Franklin moved from safety to linebacker during his redshirt season in 2007. Franklin has started at multiple positions for the Razorbacks, including

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. In his freshman season, Franklin recorded a team-high 87 tackles, and had two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was named to ''

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''' Freshman All-American team, as well as ''

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis include ...

''' Second-team. During a time when Arkansas's defense struggled with consecutive 12th-place finishes in the SEC in total yards allowed in 2008 and 2009, Franklin was a mainstay of the defense. In his sophomore season he again led the team in tackles with 94, and also had five tackles for loss and one and a half sacks. He recovered two fumbles on the year, returning one of them 85 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M. Franklin finished his career as a four-year starter for the Hogs. He led Arkansas in tackles in each of the past four years, finishing with 100 or more tackles in his junior and senior seasons- 101 in 2011 and 100 in 2010.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

On April 28, 2012, Franklin was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Carolina Panthers

After being waived by the Broncos before the start of the regular season, Franklin was added to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad on October 17, 2012. He was released from the Panthers practice squad on November 13, 2012.

Dallas Cowboys

Franklin was signed to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

' practice squad on November 14, 2012. He later chose to leave the squad and join the Chicago Bears' 53 man roster.

Chicago Bears

Franklin was signed by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

on December 11, 2012 to a two-year contract. On August 30, 2013, Franklin was released by the Bears. On September 1, he was added to the Bears' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 18 after D. J. Williams was placed on injured reserve.

Kansas City Chiefs

Franklin signed with 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

' practice squad on September 1, 2014. He was promoted to the active roster on September 9, 2014. He was waived by the team on November 8, 2014.

New Orleans Saints

Franklin was signed to the New Orleans Saints' practice squad on November 28, 2014. He was promoted to the active roster on December 26, 2014.

Detroit Lions

On February 11, 2016, Franklin signed a one-year contract with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

References

External links

Official bio at Arkansas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Jerry 1988 births Living people American football linebackers Arkansas Razorbacks football players Carolina Panthers players Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Denver Broncos players Kansas City Chiefs players People from Marion, Arkansas