‘Last Chance U’ star John Franklin III still playing football, now with USFL
TAMPA, Fla. (BVM) – John Franklin III’s football career has been a rollercoaster with the highest of highs such as winning a Super Bowl and the lowest of lows including a suspension and being released. Despite all of this, Franklin has trudged through and his professional career is still going strong, now as a part of the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits.
This season, Franklin has been a strong player for the Bandits as a wide receiver ranking third on the team in receptions and receiving yards with 11 and 127, respectively. On May 16, Franklin recorded his first touchdown in the league, catching a 43-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
Here for the 43 yard-TD. Stay for the dance 😄@JTaamu10 x @jf3_5 pic.twitter.com/65MmKbJ2Es
— Tampa Bay Bandits (@USFLBandits) May 16, 2022
For Franklin, his road has been a long and winding one that has included numerous teams and even positions as he has ascended through the sport.
Franklin’s journey began at the prep level for South Plantation High School where he led the team to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Florida High School Athletic Association 8A state playoffs as a senior playing as both a dual-threat quarterback and a cornerback. This success earned Franklin a consensus three-star ranking from the top recruiting sites and he would ultimately choose to stay in-state, choosing Florida State over Tennessee.
Unfortunately, the marriage with FSU wouldn’t last long. After redshirting in 2013, Franklin played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2014 appearing in just two games for the Seminoles.
This pushed the young QB out of the program and to help show his talents to other teams’ scouts, Franklin decided to go the JUCO route by joining the team at East Mississippi Community College.
This would be a wise choice for Franklin both on and off the field. That same season, Netflix launched its hit reality TV series “Last Chance U” covering the life and play of highly recruited college players using the JUCO route to make it to the biggest programs. Franklin was not only the quarterback for the Lions, but also earned extensive coverage on the show thanks to his story, making him a household name overnight.
That season would be a strong one on the field for Franklin as well. As the team’s starting quarterback, Franklin threw for 733 touchdowns, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions while rushing for 451 yards and nine rushing touchdowns in nine games for the Lions.
With his play, Franklin earned an opportunity to rejoin the Division I ranks as he committed to Auburn University for the 2016 season. At Auburn, Franklin again played sparingly as a backup quarterback recording 14 completions on 26 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 430 yards and two more scores.
Still holding out hope for NFL opportunities, Franklin made the decision to transfer once again, this time to Florida Atlantic. At FAU, Franklin not only experienced a change of scenery, but a change of position as he transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver. The move would work well for Franklin as he would catch seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 229 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries.
This would be enough for Franklin to be picked up as an undrafted free agent by the NFL’s Chicago Bears in 2018. While Franklin would play some preseason games for the Bears that summer at cornerback, another new position, he would end up on the team’s practice squad where he’d remain until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up for their practice squad in November 2019.
This would work out for the elite athlete as he would make the transition from corner to wideout once again and even see snaps as a wildcat quarterback during the team’s regular–season finale, rushing for 11 yards and a first down on his only NFL rushing attempt.
Though he would spend the 2020 NFL season on the injured reserve due to a knee injury, Franklin would reach the pinnacle of the football world as the Bucs beat the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LV in February 2021. Unfortunately, that year would not be all good news as Franklin was put on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a different knee injury and was waived by the team. After that, Franklin would be suspended three games for violating the league’s COVID-19 rules.
However, it appears that Franklin’s professional football career is back on track. After being selected by the Bandits in the USFL Draft in February, Franklin has created a niche for himself on the team’s offense. While he may not be in the NFL right now, Franklin is still continuing his football dream and has made it through a long, difficult road to achieve it.
