98 is the number of degrees I hope it never gets to in Boise this summer (but it definitely will). It’s also the number of days until our sweet release from football drought. Today, however, due to duplicate numbers on the roster, we will be highlighting the wearer of another jersey number…

#16, Franklyn Johnson Jr., Redshirt Sophomore, Defensive Back

Credit: Broncosports.com

Stats

Height: 5′ 10″

Weight: 172 lbs

High school: Little Elm HS, Little Elm, TX

How’d he get to The Blue™?

Mr. Johnson was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He was all over the field at CB, QB, S, and WR. That’s a lot of moving around.

He had offers from Georgetown, Navy, Colorado State, Utah State, and UNLV (among some others). But he chose a team that had something those others didn’t: Being the best in the universe…and a blue field.

Nickname

“Huncho”

I could pretend I know what it means, but…I don’t. I just know his little brother called him that in an X post and it’s part of his Instagram handle.

Look-alike

Credit: Hollywoodreporter.com

Fast and Furious star Tyrese Gibson

Career Highlights

As with his freshman year in 2023, he appeared in two games in 2024. In this most recent season, though, he got on the stat sheet, with a solo tackle vs Portland State.

2025 Prospectus

While all safeties and cornerbacks on the roster are officially listed as “DB” on the depth chart, presumably to provide for positional ambiguity, Mr. Johnson is a cornerback. There is a lot of returning talent at CB (Banks, McCoy, Earby), as well as some transfers with credentials (most notably, Freeney, from Arizona), but keep in mind that Franklyn is only a sophomore. He still has plenty of time to leave his mark on the program. However, this year he will most likely accumulate some more game reps and experience as a backup and special teams player.

Is he on Twix?

Yes, and very (rightfully) happy to be a champion!

Completely made up fact

Franklyn Johnson Jr. once convinced the opposing quarterback to throw the ball directly to him, using nothing but sheer, non-verbal willpower. He ran it back for a touchdown to win the state championship. Everyone cheered. He then ran for president and won. Moral of the story: Believe in yourselves, kids!

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