Johnathan Franklin came to UCLA widely considered to be no more than the second- or third-best running back of UCLA’s 2008 recruiting class. Five years later, Franklin finished his career as arguably the top running back in UCLA history.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Franklin quickly stepped into a starting role. As a redshirt freshman, he ran for 566 yards before breaking out for 1,127 yards as a redshirt sophomore. Franklin failed to reach the 1,000 yard mark as a redshirt junior, but more than made up for it in his final year.
As a redshirt senior Franklin exploded for 1,734 rushing yards, pushing his career total to 4,403 yards, breaking Gaston Green’s 25-year-old record for career rushing yards. Adding to the impressive stat line, Franklin scored 13 rushing touchdowns and amassed nine 100-yard games, six of which were over 160 yards.
Franklin’s performance earned him a spot as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back.