He grew up in San Jose, California, attended Yerba Buena High School.
While playing for the Bulldogs he earned All-American second-team honors both seasons, set a then-school record with 19.5 sacks his junior season, and was the Pacific Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Fresno State's MVP as a 1987 senior.
1 draft choice of the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football in 1991, but instead opted to begin his coaching career.
Franklin returned to Fresno State to coach the defensive line from 1991 to 1998, this term included a pair of NFL coaching fellowships, working with the Buffalo Bills in the summer of 1994 and the Cleveland Browns in the summer of 1995.
On January 31, 2018, Franklin joined the Seattle Seahawks as assistant defensive line coach.