 Franks in 2021 | |||||||
| No. 84 – Atlanta Falcons | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1997-12-22)December 22, 1997 (age 27) Crawfordville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 241 lb (109 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Wakulla (Crawfordville, Florida) | ||||||
| College | |||||||
| NFL draft | 2021: undrafted | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Feleipe Franks (born December 22, 1997) is an American professionalfootballtight end for theAtlanta Falcons of theNational Football League (NFL). A formerquarterback, he played his first three years ofcollege football atFlorida and transferred toArkansas for his final season. Franks joined theAtlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
Franks attendedWakulla High School inCrawfordville, Florida. During his high school career he passed for 6,867 yards and 81 touchdowns.[1] Franks was regarded as a four-star recruit by the major recruiting services, and was rated as the fifth-highest ranked pro-style quarterback and 54th-highest ranked prospect overall in the247Sports Composite.[2] He originally committed toLouisiana State University (LSU) to play college football on June 1, 2014, but switched his commitment to theUniversity of Florida on November 29, 2015.[3][4]
Franksredshirted his first year at Florida in 2016. As a redshirt freshman in 2017, he was named the starting quarterback heading into Florida's season opener againstMichigan, beating out 2016 starterLuke Del Rio and incomingNotre Dame transferMalik Zaire.[5][6] Franks struggled in the game against Michigan, and was benched in favor of Zaire in the second half after completing 5 of 9 passes for 75 yards. The Gators went on to lose 33–17. In the Gators' next game on September 16, 2017, againstTennessee, Franks started the game and threw for 212 yards, including the game-winning 63-yardHail Mary pass to receiverTyrie Cleveland. Florida won the game 26–20 for Franks' first career win.[7] After a 3–1 start, the Gators' season derailed, as they lost six of their final seven games to finish with a disappointing 4–7 record and the school's second losing season since1979.[8] Franks led the team in passing with 1,438 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.[9]
As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, Franks was again named the starting quarterback ahead of the season's opening game, fighting off competition from fellow redshirt sophomoreKyle Trask and true freshmanEmory Jones.[10] He threw for 219 yards and five touchdowns in Florida's 53–6 opening win overCharleston Southern. He set a career high with 284 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns and an interception in an October 13 win overVanderbilt. Franks helped the Gators to a dramatic turnaround compared with the 2017 season, as they finished with a 10–3 record and a victory overMichigan in thePeach Bowl, ending the season at seventh in the final polls. Franks posted 2,457 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and seven rushing touchdowns on the year. His 31 total touchdowns was tied for third in theSoutheastern Conference.[11]
In Florida's 2019 opener, Franks completed 17 of 27 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a rushing touchdown in a 24–20 win over rivalMiami.[12] In the Gators' third game of the season againstKentucky, Franks was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury late in the third quarter.[13] Florida head coachDan Mullen said after the game that team doctors believed Franks suffered a broken ankle and would likely miss the remainder of the season.[14] On December 1, 2019, Franks announced he would be leaving the Florida program.[15]
On January 20, 2020, Franks announced he would be transferring toArkansas.[16] On September 16, 2020, he was named one of four team captains for the season, and was shortly thereafter named the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks' season opener againstGeorgia.[17] On October 3, 2020, Franks led the Razorbacks in a 21–14 win against No. 16Mississippi State, breaking Arkansas' 20-game SEC losing streak as well as their 15-game losing streak against ranked opponents.[18]
On June 5, 2019, theBoston Red Sox of MLB drafted Franks with the 947th overall pick (in the 31st round) of the2019 MLB draft, and signed with the Red Sox for a signing bonus of $40,000.[19] Franks, who played baseball in high school but not at Florida, indicated that he would continue his football career.[20] On April 19, 2023, Franks was officially released from his Red Sox contract.[21]
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2016 | Florida | 0 | 0 | — | Redshirted | |||||||||||
| 2017 | Florida | 11 | 8 | 3–5 | 125 | 229 | 54.6 | 1,438 | 6.3 | 9 | 8 | 113.3 | 58 | 20 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 2018 | Florida | 13 | 13 | 10–3 | 188 | 322 | 58.4 | 2,457 | 7.6 | 24 | 6 | 143.4 | 110 | 350 | 3.2 | 7 |
| 2019 | Florida | 3 | 3 | 3–0 | 54 | 71 | 76.1 | 698 | 9.8 | 5 | 3 | 173.4 | 21 | 68 | 3.2 | 1 |
| 2020 | Arkansas | 10 | 9 | 3–6 | 163 | 238 | 68.5 | 2,107 | 8.9 | 17 | 4 | 163.1 | 105 | 204 | 1.9 | 1 |
| Career | 37 | 33 | 19–14 | 530 | 860 | 61.6 | 6,700 | 7.8 | 55 | 21 | 143.3 | 294 | 642 | 2.2 | 9 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft6+5⁄8 in (2.00 m) | 234 lb (106 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.61 s | 1.70 s | 2.63 s | 4.22 s | 7.16 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | ||
| All values fromPro Day[22][23] | ||||||||||||
On May 3, 2021, Franks signed with theAtlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.[24] He was named the third-string quarterback behind incumbent starterMatt Ryan and second-string backupJosh Rosen.[25]
Franks made his NFL debut in Week 11 during the Falcons' final drive against theNew England Patriots. His first pass was intercepted by safetyAdrian Phillips, concluding the 25–0 shutout loss. The turnover marked the fourth consecutive Falcons drive to end with an interception, following two thrown by Ryan and one returned for a touchdown from Rosen.[26]
In June 2022, Franks began taking reps at thetight end position, with the Falcons announcing they were planning to use him in a hybrid role.[27]
On August 3, 2023, Franks waswaived/injured by theAtlanta Falcons and placed oninjured reserve.[28]
On July 26, 2024, Franks signed with theCarolina Panthers.[29] He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[30][31] He was promoted to the active roster on September 7, but waived two days later and re-signed to the practice squad.[32][33] He was promoted back to the active roster the following week.
On March 20, 2025, Franks signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[34]
Franks' older brother,Jordan, is a former NFL tight end.[35]
