Elks sign Last Chance U alum, WR John Franklin III
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks announced on Wednesday that they have signed wide receiver John Franklin III.
Franklin played the last two seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Memphis Showboats in 2023 and another with the Tampa Bay Bandits in 2022. He appeared in one game for the Showboats, recording one reception for 11 yards, while suiting up in nine games for the Bandits in 2022, where he had 14 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns.
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Prior to joining the USFL, the German-born Franklin spent parts of four seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (2018) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-2021). The 29-year-old played in one game for the Bucs, registering one rush for 11 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 of the 2019 season.
The former quarterback played five seasons of college football with Florida State (2013-2014), East Mississippi CC (2015), Auburn University (2016) and Florida Atlantic (2017). In his final year at Florida Atlantic, Franklin made the move from quarterback to wide receiver, totalling seven receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown in 13 games for the Owls.
Franklin was one of the stars of the hit Netflix reality show ‘Last Chance U’ during its first season. He is the second alum of the Netflix show to land with the team this off-season. Quarterback Malik Henry signed with the team on Jan. 26.
