Panthers’ Sam Franklin weathered a storm before becoming an NFL special teams standout
Sam Franklin Jr. stayed on the field after the Carolina Panthers’ opening kickoff. He wasn’t supposed to take his usual jog back to the sideline because in Week 12’s home game at Bank of America Stadium, Franklin was a starter on defense.
Franklin wanted to make a play immediately, and his mission took only a few seconds to accomplish.
Lined up at his own 5-yard line, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson took a snap under center on first down and quickly darted a pass to receiver Montrell Washington in the flat. Franklin read the play perfectly, quickly zoomed past receiver Kendall Hinton — his coverage assignment — and pounced on Washington for a 3-yard loss.
After Franklin bounced back up from the turf, cameras caught him pointing to the ground as if to say, “This is my house.”
Interim head coach Steve Wilks has been eager to reward players who have stepped up during his tenure, which began in Week 6 after the Panthers fired Franklin’s longtime mentor and college coach at Temple, Matt Rhule. Franklin has been a beneficiary of Wilks’ desire to promote from within.
Franklin earned his first and only start of the season through his work on special teams. Entering Week 16, Franklin is tied for third in the NFL with 13 special teams tackles.
“It just shows that the more consistent you can be, the better they are going to try to put you in position to keep trying to help them,” Franklin said. “I feel like this staff gives equal opportunities — day in and day out — depending on your practice performance and how you’ve been doing. That’s just a testament to them and the trust in who they brought in.”
Franklin has become a favorite of special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who was hired by Rhule this past offseason. While Franklin is known for his outgoing personality and energy in the locker room and on the field, Tabor admires his work ethic more than anything else.
That’s why Tabor and the Panthers staff nominated Franklin as their representative for the special teams unit on the Pro Bowl ballot in November.
“It’s really an honor because I’ve just been trying to perfect what (Tabor) asks me to do — week in and week out — and just try to provide some security for the special teams with my play,” Franklin said.
While Franklin didn’t end up getting the nod for his first Pro Bowl appearance on Wednesday, the honor of his nomination hasn’t gone unappreciated by Franklin or his teammates. His Temple-turned-Panthers teammates, in particular, have praised Franklin’s rise since his days as a shy young recruit on the Temple campus.
A different scene
Franklin, a Crystal River, Florida, native, saw snow for the first time in his life when he arrived in Philadelphia for a recruiting visit in 2015.
It wasn’t the light, fluffy stuff, either. A storm had produced multiple feet of snow, and Franklin was one of only two football recruits on the Temple campus.
Franklin’s eventual Panthers teammate, tight end Colin Thompson, was his host.
“The city shut down and Sam didn’t say a word for literally 72 hours on the visit — not a word, nothing,” Thompson said in November.
Franklin couldn’t believe his eyes as locals bypassed the snow with ease. For a kid who spent his entire life in Florida, it was a culture shock.
“It was crazy because I thought they’d shut down the school,” Franklin said. “But people were just going about their lives and just being regular. … I wasn’t even really cold the first time I’d seen snow, I was just shocked and having too much fun with it.”
Franklin had so much fun on the trip that he committed to Temple.
Like with the tour, though, Franklin — who battled dyslexia in high school — didn’t have much to say when he arrived on campus as a true freshman. According to Franklin, he was simply taking in his surroundings.
“I try to feel (things) out and see how people are because I just don’t want to put my personality on everybody,” Franklin said. “I’m an outgoing person, come on very strong, so I just don’t like to fully come out like that because I never know how somebody else will react to it.”
Franklin’s waiting game didn’t last long, according to Thompson, who has grown close to Franklin throughout their time together as teammates in college and the NFL.
“He came out of his shell,” Thompson said. “I think once he started making plays and playing on special teams, he became the Sam he is today.”
Once Franklin let his swag out of the bag, his energy created impressive results on the field. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound hybrid defender produced 195 tackles (24 for loss), 8 sacks and 2 interceptions during his final three years with the program.
“When I first got to Temple, it was a new scene,” Franklin said. “I’m from Florida, so that was totally different for me. I just didn’t know how to adjust to the north, and how people were moving, so I had to really just adapt a little bit. But once I made a couple of friends, and got around a lot of guys, I was myself at that point.”
Safety Sean Chandler — who like Franklin and Thompson is an Temple Owl turned Carolina Panther — believes Franklin has always been the guy to light spark among his teammates.
“Sam has always (brought) the energy,” Chandler said. “When he was on the scout team, on the look team at Temple to when he was actually playing. He would always bring it to the meeting room.”
Thompson says Franklin’s impact was about more than just his energy.
Built like a linebacker, Franklin has defensive back speed, which has allowed him to play nearly every position on defense. That versatility has been an asset for Franklin and the teams he’s played for.
“At Temple, he played linebacker, he played safety, he played (defensive) end,” Thompson said. “He’s played everything, so he’s the ultimate weapon in that regard.”
Becoming a leader
Like at Temple, Franklin arrived in Charlotte in 2020 as a quiet rookie.
While he knew some of his former teammates from college, he was entering a professional environment where he needed to prove himself to established veterans. At the time, he was an undrafted player who was a long shot to make the team.
But following a strong showing that summer, he was kept on the 53-man roster after final cuts.
From there, his personality began to come out.
“I think when you’re a young player, I don’t know that you’re ever totally comfortable letting your whole personality out,” long snapper J.J. Jansen said. “Sam has always had a very energetic personality, he’s always been full of life, and I think as each progressive year comes, and you play well and you’re playing more, guys get to know you better.”
Franklin played a backup role on defense during his first two seasons in Carolina. And while he was able to produce the occasional highlight as a defender, Franklin started to thrive on special teams during his second NFL season.
Franklin finished that campaign with nine special teams tackles. That total was good enough for second on the team behind linebacker Julian Stanford, who collected 11.
Heading into this season, Stanford was placed on injured reserve in August, and he was eventually released in October. With the Panthers needing a new special teams leader, Franklin stepped up to the challenge.
“Sam is one of the best in the game that I’ve ever seen play (on special teams),” rookie running back Raheem Blackshear said. “Sam goes down, contributes anyway possible and it just shows — he wants to perform and be with his brothers — he’s not a selfish player at all. I look at Sam as a captain of the team. He comes every day to work and you know he’s going to give 100 percent. He’s always teaching young guys how to get better.”
A complete special teams player
As with his recruiting trip to Temple, Franklin has weathered a storm of sorts to get to where he is today.
He went undrafted, struggled to find a permanent role on defense and watched his longtime mentor — Rhule — get fired during his first three seasons in the NFL. And yet, Franklin is having the best year of his career.
“He’s earning all of the respect and accolades he’s getting,” Jansen said. “It’s great for coaches to point out another guy on the team, and say, `That’s what happens when you’re a young guy and you dominate your special teams role.’”
And Franklin’s coaches aren’t shy about pointing him out, either.
Tabor has repeatedly praised Franklin’s work ethic and grit in press conferences this year.
“He gets doubled — and it’s tough to beat a double team — but he goes down to the ground, pops back up and is right there on the tackle,” Tabor said. “When you watch him block, he does a nice job. He’s being a complete player.”
And while Franklin didn’t get selected for the Pro Bowl (instead named a second alternate), his surge up the ladder in the Panthers’ locker room will set him up to potentially receive the honor in the future.
Franklin will become a restricted free agent in March. But with how he has played during the past four months, it’ll be hard for the Panthers to let him walk out the door — no matter who is in charge.
Especially, with the public endorsements that Tabor has dished out this year.
“When I pop on the tape, I can kind of hear him giving me a ‘mhm, mhm — I saw that last night,’” Tabor said. “He’s already watched it. He’s that guy. And I appreciate him for that. And I think that’s another reason why he’s playing well. … You’re a professional football player, it’s your job. He’s taken that to heart — and he’s done a good job.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Panthers’ Sam Franklin weathered a storm before becoming an NFL special teams standout."
