Former Oklahoma DB Dominique Franks Lands USFL Coaching Job

After five years in the NFL and a brief stint playing professional basketball, Franks got into coaching and now will work for the New Jersey Generals under Mike Riley.

John E. Hoover | Mar 17, 2022

Former Oklahoma defensive back Dominique Franks is now coaching professional football.

Franks, who starred in the Sooner secondary from 2007-09 and became a fifth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2010 NFL Draft, has been hired by the New Jersey Generals in the new United States Football League.

Franks, 34, played five seasons in the NFL, then decided he wanted to play professional basketball. He played pro ball briefly in Europe, then returned to the States to get into football coaching.

He broke in at Owasso High School under his old preps coach at Tulsa Union, Bill Blankenship. Now he’ll be working for former San Diego Chargers and Oregon State/Nebraska head coach Mike Riley. Franks will be a quality control assistant and coach defensive backs for the Generals.

Dom Franks-Smile — Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Dom Franks-Falcons — Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Dom Franks - Ravens — Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Dominique Franks

Coming out of Union, Franks was a 247 Sports 3-star prospect, but after redshirting in 2006, became an impact player for three seasons in Norman.

He started 27 of his 39 games, mostly at cornerback, and contributed 60 tackles and six interceptions while scoring three defensive touchdowns. He also returned 29 punts for 346 yards.

Before declaring early for the NFL Draft, Franks had 42 tackles and two interceptions in 2009 and was voted All-Big 12 Conference by the league’s head coaches.

The USFl, a new, independent pro football league unaffiliated with the old USFL of the 1980s, is owned by Fox Sports and will be televised by Fox and NBC networks. There are eight teams in two divisions, and the 10-game season begins this spring. Players report for training camp on March 22, and teams will carry a 38-man active roster.

Published Mar 17, 2022

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.