Stephen F. Austin doesn't churn out NFL talent at the rate of the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world — which makes it all the more notable when a Lumberjack earns a spotlight on a team with legitimate bounce-back aspirations.
A Yahoo Sports breakdown of the 2026 Tennessee Titans' "hidden gems" named John Franklin-Myers — the SFA-bred defensive end — as one of three secret superstars positioned to help the franchise claw its way back into contention. Franklin-Myers shares the distinction with running back Tony Pollard and Fernando Carmona Jr., in a piece framing Tennessee's under-the-radar depth as a legitimate reason for optimism heading into the season.
Franklin-Myers: The Lumberjack in the Trenches
Franklin-Myers has quietly carved out an NFL career that most players from FCS programs never sniff. The defensive end's inclusion in a "hidden gems" conversation for a team targeting a worst-to-first turnaround speaks to the kind of consistent, under-the-radar production that rarely gets top billing but consistently earns roster spots — and, apparently, national write-ups.
The Titans framing matters here: Tennessee is being discussed as a team with something to prove in 2026, and Franklin-Myers is being cited as part of the reason their ceiling may be higher than the casual observer assumes. For a program like SFA, that's exactly the kind of exposure that validates the pipeline.
The Broader Lumberjack Footprint
Franklin-Myers isn't the only SFA alumnus currently holding down an NFL roster spot. Xavier Gipson is with the New York Giants at wide receiver. Bruce Harmon is in the Cowboys' secondary at cornerback. B.J. Thompson is with the Kansas City Chiefs at linebacker. Jeremiah Walker rounds out the group with the Chicago Bears at linebacker.
Five active NFL players from a school in Nacogdoches, Texas — a program that competes at the FCS level — is a legitimate story in its own right. SFA has developed a reputation for producing NFL-caliber talent at premium positions on both sides of the ball, and the current class of alumni scattered across the league reinforces it.
But this week, it's Franklin-Myers and the Titans drawing the headline. If Tennessee's 2026 campaign materializes into anything resembling a playoff push, expect the SFA defensive end's name to come up more than once along the way.
AI-generated summary
