Story Courtesy: Gary Holden, Ferrum Athletics
Ferrum College has announced the addition of Ta-Rel Franklin to its men’s basketball coaching staff, bringing more than 11 years of collegiate coaching and basketball operations experience to the Panthers under first-year Head Coach James Johnson ’93.
Franklin joins the staff with an extensive background spanning NCAA Division I, II and III basketball, including experience as a head coach, associate head coach and director of basketball operations. His diverse coaching résumé includes work at six collegiate programs across five regions of the country, with an emphasis on national recruiting, player development, scouting, program administration and building a culture focused on student-athlete success.
“Ta-Rel brings a wealth of experience in recruiting, player development and program operations, and we’re excited to have him join our staff,” said Johnson. “His background at multiple levels of college basketball, along with his commitment to helping student-athletes grow on and off the court, will be a great asset to our program. We’re looking forward to the impact he’ll make as we continue building Ferrum men’s basketball.”
Most recently, Franklin served as director of basketball operations at Brown University during the 2025-26 season, overseeing the daily administrative and logistical operations of the Ivy League Division I men’s basketball program. His responsibilities included travel coordination, budget management, NCAA compliance monitoring, film exchange and collaboration with university departments to support the student-athlete experience. Franklin brings his broad experience in coaching, recruiting and program operations to Ferrum as Johnson begins his first season leading the Panthers.
Franklin previously served as head women’s basketball coach at Rockford University in 2024-25, where he directed recruiting, player development, game preparation and academic monitoring. During his tenure, he helped develop D’Asia Washington into an All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference First Team selection.
His coaching and operations experience also includes a season as director of basketball operations at California Polytechnic State University in 2023-24. During that campaign, Cal Poly improved from 10 wins to 17, earning a Women’s National Invitation Tournament appearance and securing the program’s first postseason berth in 10 years.
Franklin’s experience also includes three seasons as associate head men’s basketball coach at Alderson Broaddus University from 2019-22, where he played a leading role in recruiting, opponent scouting and player development. He helped identify and recruit Jalen Knott, who went on to earn Mountain East Conference Freshman of the Year honors. Franklin later served as the university’s head women’s basketball coach in 2022-23, leading the program to its first-ever victory over a nationally ranked opponent with a win over No. 13 University of Charleston on Jan. 11, 2023.
Earlier in his career, Franklin served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Hendrix College in 2018-19, gaining additional experience in recruiting, scouting, video analysis and on-court development.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Franklin has demonstrated a commitment to leadership and student-athlete development beyond the court. At Alderson Broaddus, he served concurrently as chief diversity officer, helped develop the university’s first formal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and contributed to institutional strategic planning.
Franklin earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in sports management from Bluffton University in 2018. He received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Alderson Broaddus University in 2016.
