2025 Football Roster
Jersey Number 4
Sam Franklin
- Position:
- Running Back
- Height:
- 5-10
- Weight:
- 204
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Little Rock, Ark.
- Prev School:
- UT-Martin/Oklahoma
- High School:
- Central HS
HONORS:
2023 Walter Payton Award finalist (FCS Player of the Year)
2023 FCS All-America Second Team by the Associated Press
2023 FCS All-America Second Team by FCS Football Central
2023 FCS All-America Second Team selection by Phill Steele magazine
2023 Big South-OVC Football Association first-team selection
2023 Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele magazine
2022 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year
2022 Freshman All-American by Phil Steele (first team) and Stats Perform
2022 All-OVC second team and the OVC All-Newcomer squad
2022 Jerry Rice Award finalist (FCS Freshman of the Year)
A veteran running back who transferred to the Bulls in the summer of 20025…he excelled on the FCS level earning All-American honors and running for 2,129 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons at UT-Martin, including 1,386 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023, before transferring to Oklahoma for the 2024 season.
2025: Saw action in all 13 games and made two starts...logged 80 carries for 485 yards (5.9 ypc) and four touchdowns and caught five passes for 36 yards...had a season-high 91 yards on four carries (22.75 ypc), including touchdown runs of 54 and 30 yards, vs. South Carolina State (9/20)....ran for 76 yards on 14 carries vs. Charlotte (10/3)...ran for 51 yards and a touchdown at North Texas (10/10)...had 81 yards and a 73-yard touchdown run at Memphis (10/25)...ran for 65 yards on 10 carries vs. Rice (11/29)...ran for 29 yards and had a 14-yard reception in the Cure Bowl vs. Old Dominion (12/17).
2024 (OKLAHOMA): Played in 12 games on special teams and in a reserve running back role … totaled 132 rushing yards on 18 carries (7.3 yards per carry) and 18 yards on five receptions … led team with six kickoff returns for 133 yards (22.2 average) … rushed six times for 61 yards and returned two kickoffs for 51 yards (including an OU-season-long 31-yarder) at LSU (11/30) … rushed six times for 26 yards and added two receptions for 15 yards vs. Maine (11/2) … returned two kickoffs for 40 yards vs. Texas (10/12) … had a 21-yard kickoff return at Auburn (9/28) and vs. Tulane (9/14) … rushed four times for 45 yards in season opener vs. Temple (8/30).
2023 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): A Walter Payton Award finalist … named to the FCS All-America Second Team by the Associated Press and FCS Football Central … an FCS All-America Second Team selection by Phill Steele magazine … a Big South-OVC Football Association first-team selection … named the Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele magazine … started all 11 games ... totaled 1,386 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 223 carries (6.2 yards per rush) and averaged 126.0 rushing yards per game … also notched 14 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown … registered seven 100-yard rushing games and rushed for more than 200 yards twice … rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries at Samford (11/18) … rushed 21 times for 123 yards vs. Southeast Missouri (11/11) … rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and caught five passes for a career-high 73 yards and a score at Tennessee Tech (11/4) … carried 19 times for 77 yards and a touchdown at Gardner-Webb (10/28) … rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries vs. Charleston Southern (10/21) … notched 54 yards and a touchdown on nine carries at Eastern Illinois (10/7) … rushed for 132 yards on 20 carries vs. Tennessee State (9/30) … rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries at North Alabama (9/23) … carried 17 times for 127 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards vs. Houston Christian (9/16) … rushed for career highs of 259 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries (12.95 yards per rush), including a season-long 81-yard rush, vs. Missouri State (9/9) … rushed 12 times for 46 yards and caught two passes for 18 yards in the season opener at Georgia (9/2).
2022 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year … named the OVC Freshman of the Year by Phil Steele … recognized as a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele (first team) and Stats Perform … named to the All-OVC second team and the OVC All-Newcomer squad … Jerry Rice Award finalist … selected to The Bluebloods all-conference second team … garnered all-conference second team honors from Phil Steele … named OVC Newcomer of the Week (9/25) … played in all 11 games and made two starts … helped lead the Skyhawks to a share of the OVC Championship … totaled 676 yards and eight touchdowns on 85 carries, caught 12 passes for 55 yards and returned eight kickoffs for 160 yards (20.0 yards per return) … rushed 13 times for 30 yards and a touchdown vs. Eastern Illinois (11/19) … carried 21 times for 81 yards at Tennessee State (11/12) … caught three passes for 35 yards and rushed four times for three yards vs. Kennesaw State (11/5) … rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown on eight carries (17.4 yards per rush) at Houston Christian (10/29) … rushed for a season-high 157 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries (19.6 yards per rush) at Murray State (10/8) … carried five times for 94 yards and a score (18.8 yards per rush) vs. Tennessee Tech (10/1) … rushed for 56 yards and three touchdowns on six carries vs. Lindenwood (9/24) … returned five kickoffs for 105 yards, including a long return of 47 yards, at Missouri State (9/8) … carried 10 times for 89 yards in the season opener vs. Western Illinois (9/1).
2021 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): Redshirted … played in two games … helped team to the OVC Championship and a second-round berth in NCAA Division I playoffs … totaled 67 yards and a touchdown on seven carries … rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on four carries at Tennessee Tech (11/13) … carried three times for 12 yards vs. Murray State (10/9) … named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the fall semester.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Central High School where he played for head coach Kent Laster … finished his career with 415 rushing attempts for 2,229 yards and 29 touchdowns …totaled 41 receptions for 521 yards and four touchdowns … recorded 2,750 yards of total offense and 33 touchdowns in his career … in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, tallied 20 carries for 170 yards while adding four receptions for 92 yards.
PERSONAL: Earned USF Athletic Honor Roll recognition in the fall of 2025.
2023 Walter Payton Award finalist (FCS Player of the Year)
2023 FCS All-America Second Team by the Associated Press
2023 FCS All-America Second Team by FCS Football Central
2023 FCS All-America Second Team selection by Phill Steele magazine
2023 Big South-OVC Football Association first-team selection
2023 Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele magazine
2022 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year
2022 Freshman All-American by Phil Steele (first team) and Stats Perform
2022 All-OVC second team and the OVC All-Newcomer squad
2022 Jerry Rice Award finalist (FCS Freshman of the Year)
A veteran running back who transferred to the Bulls in the summer of 20025…he excelled on the FCS level earning All-American honors and running for 2,129 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons at UT-Martin, including 1,386 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023, before transferring to Oklahoma for the 2024 season.
2025: Saw action in all 13 games and made two starts...logged 80 carries for 485 yards (5.9 ypc) and four touchdowns and caught five passes for 36 yards...had a season-high 91 yards on four carries (22.75 ypc), including touchdown runs of 54 and 30 yards, vs. South Carolina State (9/20)....ran for 76 yards on 14 carries vs. Charlotte (10/3)...ran for 51 yards and a touchdown at North Texas (10/10)...had 81 yards and a 73-yard touchdown run at Memphis (10/25)...ran for 65 yards on 10 carries vs. Rice (11/29)...ran for 29 yards and had a 14-yard reception in the Cure Bowl vs. Old Dominion (12/17).
2024 (OKLAHOMA): Played in 12 games on special teams and in a reserve running back role … totaled 132 rushing yards on 18 carries (7.3 yards per carry) and 18 yards on five receptions … led team with six kickoff returns for 133 yards (22.2 average) … rushed six times for 61 yards and returned two kickoffs for 51 yards (including an OU-season-long 31-yarder) at LSU (11/30) … rushed six times for 26 yards and added two receptions for 15 yards vs. Maine (11/2) … returned two kickoffs for 40 yards vs. Texas (10/12) … had a 21-yard kickoff return at Auburn (9/28) and vs. Tulane (9/14) … rushed four times for 45 yards in season opener vs. Temple (8/30).
2023 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): A Walter Payton Award finalist … named to the FCS All-America Second Team by the Associated Press and FCS Football Central … an FCS All-America Second Team selection by Phill Steele magazine … a Big South-OVC Football Association first-team selection … named the Big South-OVC Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele magazine … started all 11 games ... totaled 1,386 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 223 carries (6.2 yards per rush) and averaged 126.0 rushing yards per game … also notched 14 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown … registered seven 100-yard rushing games and rushed for more than 200 yards twice … rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries at Samford (11/18) … rushed 21 times for 123 yards vs. Southeast Missouri (11/11) … rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and caught five passes for a career-high 73 yards and a score at Tennessee Tech (11/4) … carried 19 times for 77 yards and a touchdown at Gardner-Webb (10/28) … rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries vs. Charleston Southern (10/21) … notched 54 yards and a touchdown on nine carries at Eastern Illinois (10/7) … rushed for 132 yards on 20 carries vs. Tennessee State (9/30) … rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries at North Alabama (9/23) … carried 17 times for 127 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards vs. Houston Christian (9/16) … rushed for career highs of 259 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries (12.95 yards per rush), including a season-long 81-yard rush, vs. Missouri State (9/9) … rushed 12 times for 46 yards and caught two passes for 18 yards in the season opener at Georgia (9/2).
2022 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year … named the OVC Freshman of the Year by Phil Steele … recognized as a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele (first team) and Stats Perform … named to the All-OVC second team and the OVC All-Newcomer squad … Jerry Rice Award finalist … selected to The Bluebloods all-conference second team … garnered all-conference second team honors from Phil Steele … named OVC Newcomer of the Week (9/25) … played in all 11 games and made two starts … helped lead the Skyhawks to a share of the OVC Championship … totaled 676 yards and eight touchdowns on 85 carries, caught 12 passes for 55 yards and returned eight kickoffs for 160 yards (20.0 yards per return) … rushed 13 times for 30 yards and a touchdown vs. Eastern Illinois (11/19) … carried 21 times for 81 yards at Tennessee State (11/12) … caught three passes for 35 yards and rushed four times for three yards vs. Kennesaw State (11/5) … rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown on eight carries (17.4 yards per rush) at Houston Christian (10/29) … rushed for a season-high 157 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries (19.6 yards per rush) at Murray State (10/8) … carried five times for 94 yards and a score (18.8 yards per rush) vs. Tennessee Tech (10/1) … rushed for 56 yards and three touchdowns on six carries vs. Lindenwood (9/24) … returned five kickoffs for 105 yards, including a long return of 47 yards, at Missouri State (9/8) … carried 10 times for 89 yards in the season opener vs. Western Illinois (9/1).
2021 (TENNESSEE-MARTIN): Redshirted … played in two games … helped team to the OVC Championship and a second-round berth in NCAA Division I playoffs … totaled 67 yards and a touchdown on seven carries … rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on four carries at Tennessee Tech (11/13) … carried three times for 12 yards vs. Murray State (10/9) … named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the fall semester.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Central High School where he played for head coach Kent Laster … finished his career with 415 rushing attempts for 2,229 yards and 29 touchdowns …totaled 41 receptions for 521 yards and four touchdowns … recorded 2,750 yards of total offense and 33 touchdowns in his career … in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, tallied 20 carries for 170 yards while adding four receptions for 92 yards.
PERSONAL: Earned USF Athletic Honor Roll recognition in the fall of 2025.
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