Reunited: Kendall Coleman and Zaire Franklin Team Up in Indy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On Friday, May 22, around 11 a.m., Indianapolis Colts signee and former Syracuse defensive end Kendall Coleman sat down for breakfast. Just a few bites in, his phone rang.

FaceTime from Zaire Franklin.

He quickly answered his teammate.

"You up?" Franklin asked.

It was the Colts day off, but Franklin was working. He had just finished his first workout of the day and had some downtime before the next one started, so he figured he'd check in on Coleman.

"I'm at the field right now. What are you doing?" Franklin asked the rookie.

In April, Coleman, an Indianapolis native, joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent. The move fulfilled his childhood dream competing for a spot on an NFL roster. It also allows him a unique opportunity to play for his hometown team in front of his friends and family.

"It's surreal," Coleman said. "I've been a Colts fan since as long as I can remember. It's a dream come true."

In addition to returning home, Coleman will reunite with Franklin, one of his old teammates and mentors from Syracuse. Franklin is going into his third year in Indianapolis.

Franklin and Coleman have what they describe as a "brotherly relationship." The pair played together for two years at Syracuse. When Coleman joined the Orange as a freshman in 2016, Franklin was a junior captain. Coleman said he looked up to Franklin from the very start. He gravitated toward his energy and work ethic. On the field, Franklin was intense, competitive and calculated. Off the field, he was always smiling, joking and having fun. He showed Coleman how to balance all the aspects of being a student-athlete at a Power-Five program.

"He laid out the blueprint for me," Coleman said. "You have to enjoy the moment while you have it, but take advantage of it while you're here."

At Syracuse, both Franklin and Coleman made the most their time on and off the field. Franklin was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft after a prolific college career. The linebacker was a four-year starter, three-time captain and two-time All-ACC selection. Franklin totaled more than 300 tackles in in 48 games at Syracuse from 2014-17, including a career-high 101 stops in 2016.

Franklin was also heavily involved in the community, serving as a member of the Syracuse Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and as part of the leadership group for the Syracuse University chapter of Uplifting Athletes. He also organized and participated in many community engagement initiatives as the president of Syracuse's chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. For his civic and charitable works, Franklin was named a semifinalist for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup as a senior.

Now headed into his third season in the league, Franklin has been mainstay for the Colts on special teams in addition to seeing spot duty at linebacker. He has 30 tackles in 32 career games, including 24 as a rookie in 2018.

Coleman followed in his teammate's footsteps. He was a four-year starter as well, team captain as a senior and a two-time All-ECAC selection. The 2019 recipient of the Bill Horr Award as Syracuse's MVP, Coleman finished his career with 137 tackles and 15.5 sacks. Off the field, he was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

Coleman said his best performance came during his junior year – just after Franklin moved on to the NFL. Coleman tied for second in the ACC with 10 sacks in 2018 to help the Orange to a 10-3 record and a victory over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl.

"At that point, I had to stop following and become a leader," Coleman said.

Doing so has put him in position to play in the NFL, however the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the team's traditional schedule. Instead of in-person rookie minicamps and OTAs, Coleman has been taking part in the team's virtual offseason program. The start of training camp will be announced at a later date.

Franklin said his relationship with Coleman first started because Coleman not only wanted to follow his lead, but wanted to outwork him, too. Throughout their time at Syracuse, the two pushed one another. Fast forward a couple years and they're doing the same thing – just with a different team. So when Franklin and Coleman facetimed that morning, they were just doing what they've always done – trying to make each other better.

"I look at him like a little brother, so I'm going to do whatever I can to help him," Franklin said.

And sometimes that means checking in on off days.

For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).

Syracuse University Athletics

Reunited: Kendall Coleman and Zaire Franklin Team Up in Indy

Players Mentioned

Kendall Coleman

Related Videos