CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders have signed American defensive back Marloshawn Franklin Jr., the team announced on Friday.
Franklin played eight games for the Edmonton Elks during the 2023 Canadian Football League season and has also attended training camps with the BC Lions and Ottawa REDBLACKS.
As a member of the Elks, Franklin Jr. made starts at both safety and the SAM position. He recorded 28 tackles and also had one interception and two knockdowns.
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The Detroit native first came to Canada in 2019 when he attended training camp with the Lions. He signed with the Montreal Alouettes in 2020 but never saw action because of the cancellation of the season.
In 2021, Franklin played in Germany with the Hamburg Sea Devils of the European League of Football and recorded 22 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in six games.
He attended training camp with Ottawa in 2022 and signed with Edmonton in 2023.
After release by the Elks in 2024, Franklin returned to Germany and had 24 tackles, two interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in seven games with the ELF’s Rhein Fire. Franklin helped the Fire win the league title as he had six tackles and an interception in the championship game against the Vienna Vikings.
In college, Franklin played his final two seasons at California. He suited up for 22 games and made 14 starts for the Golden Bears, recording 60 tackles including two tackles for loss, one sack and nine pass breakups.
Franklin enrolled at Cal after two seasons at Mesa (Az.) Community College. He earned first-team league all-star recognition during his second season with the Thunderbirds after notching 41 tackles and 12 pass breakups.