WVU Football
Former Teammate Offers Insight About WVU Safeties Coach Gabe Franklin

West Virginia’s new safeties coach Gabe Franklin is a bit of an outlier on the new WVU football staff. Most of the coaches have worked with Rich Rodriguez at some point in the past, but Franklin’s connection only comes from his relationship with several of the other defensive assistants.
So to help WVU fans get to know Franklin, we reached out to someone who has watched his entire career progression from player to coach.
“As a player and then as a coach, Gabe always carried himself with a level of maturity and professionalism that stood out from other teammates and coaches,” said former college football coach and Franklin’s ex teammate Mike Sanford.
Sanford, who now works as a member of media in the Denver market, has known Franklin for over two decades, dating back to when they were teammates at Boise State.
Endorsements from coaches he trusts helped sell Rodriguez on bringing in Franklin.
โGabe is familiar with some of our defensive staff from their time at Boise State, and I am excited to get the chance to work with him,โ said Rodriguez about hiring Franklin on Jan, 10. โHe brings great leadership and experience from all levels and was a well-decorated defensive back during his playing days.โ
Welcome to Almost Heaven, Coach Gabe Franklin!
๐ https://t.co/xSvhWi4ns4#HailWV pic.twitter.com/bxWzN7Os6g
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) January 10, 2025
Franklin spent the last five seasons with Boise State as safeties coach. He played for the Broncos from 2001 to 2004, earning All-Conference honors three times as a cornerback. Franklin then spent brief time in the NFL with the Giants and Chargers.
Franklin started his coaching career at the high school level before working at UTEP. He coached cornerbacks, defensive backs and was the recruiting coordinator for the program at UTEP. He spent five total seasons with UTEP.
Franklin joins a defensive coaching staff that also includes the likes of defensive coordinator Zac Alley, bandit linebackers coachย Jeff Casteel, cornerbacks coach Rod West and defensive line coach William Green. The defensive staff also features assistant coaches Jake Casteel, Andrew Warwick, and Pat Kirkland.
Findย more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.