Franklin was born in St. Nazaire, France, while his father was stationed in the US military. He grew up in San Jose, California, attended Yerba Buena High School. He attended San Jose City College, a junior college, where he played both years and earned junior college All-American honors in 1985. He transferred to Fresno State University, where he played for two seasons. While playing for the Bulldogs he earned All-American second team honors both seasons, set a then-school record with 19.5 sacks his junior season, and was the Pacific Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Fresno State's MVP as a 1987 senior. He graduated from Fresno State with a bachelor's degree in criminology in 1988.