Last confirmed: Syracuse, 2017. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′0″ · 236 lb · Philadelphia, PA · La Salle College
Zaire Franklin: LB · Syracuse · #4.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Zaire Franklin
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Three seasons at Syracuse, two different head coaches: Scott Shafer and Dino Babers. A game that shows it: 16 tackles against Wake Forest — Week 11, 2017.
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
84 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 5.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Roundtable Oct 23
Syracuse.com Oct 15
247Sports Oct 7Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2017 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 50-7vs Central Connecticut | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 23-30vs Middle Tennessee | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-17vs Central Michigan | 8 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 26-35@ No. 25 LSU | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 25-33@ NC State | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 27-24vs Pittsburgh | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 27-24vs No. 2 Clemson | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 19-27@ No. 8 Miami | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 24-27@ Florida State | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 43-64vs Wake Forest | 16 | 12 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Wk 12 | L 10-56@ Louisville | 4 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 14-42vs Boston College | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 84 | 41 | 5.5 | 1.5 | — | 2 |
Week 7 · 2017
W 27-24
vs Clemson
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 4 tackles
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 at home.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
84tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%6 TFLSack rate
2%2 sacksPD rate
2%2 pass breakups84 tackles · 5.5 for loss · 1.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2017 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 7.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 6.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 6.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 8.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dino Babers
Pass share
53.6%
548 pass / 474 run
Plays / game
85.2
12 games
Team sack rate
5.6%
587 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2017
84 tackles in 12 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Syracuse, 185 tackles — drafted at #235 overall by the Indianapolis Colts.
His career
He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.
Coaching lineage · 2014–2017
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Scott Shafer → Dino Babers. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where he ended up · NFL
Indianapolis ColtsEntering 9th NFL season
Indianapolis ColtsEntering 9th NFL season
