He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning first-team All-American honors while setting a school record for career yards rushing.

As a high school football player, Franklin was named first-team all-city as a running back and was a third-team selection as a cornerback.

Franklin received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played for the UCLA Bruins football team from 2009 to 2012.

He was named Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week again and was the nation's leading rusher with an average of 215.5 yards per game.

On November 3, 2012, he surpassed Gaston Green's 3,731-yard career record at UCLA in a 66-10 victory against Arizona at the Rose Bowl on Homecoming Day.

Franklin was voted second best running back in the nation in the Doak Walker Award, finishing just behind Montee Ball of Wisconsin.

[6] Franklin was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round, with the 125th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL draft.

After Franklin announced his retirement from professional football, he began an internship in the front offices of the Packer organization.