Zakhari Franklin

Zakhari Franklin
Illinois Fighting Illini – No. 4
Position	Wide receiver
Class	Senior
Major	Crop Sciences
Personal information
Born:	October 15, 2000 (age 24); Cedar Hill, Texas
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career history
College	UTSA (2019–2022); Ole Miss (2023); Illinois (2024–present);
Bowl games	2024 Citrus Bowl;
High school	Cedar Hill; (Cedar Hill, Texas)
Career highlights and awards
	2× First team All-Conference USA (2021, 2022);
	Stats at ESPN;

Zakhari Franklin (born October 15, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He previously played for the UTSA Roadrunners and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Early life and high school

Franklin grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas and attended Cedar Hill High School. caught 23 passes for 687 yards and nine touchdowns.^[1] Franklin committed to play college football at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).^[2]

College career

Franklin began his college career playing for the UTSA Roadrunners^[3] He had 38 catches for 491 yards and three touchdowns during his freshman season.^[4] Franklin was named honorable mention All-Conference USA after catching 49 passes for 694 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.^[5] He was named first team All-Conference USA at the end of his junior season after setting school records with 81 catches, 1,027 receiving yards, and 12 touchdown receptions.^[6] As a senior, Franklin reset his program records with 94 receptions for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns.^[7] After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[8]

Franklin ultimately transferred to Ole Miss.^[9]

Statistics

Season	Games		Receiving
Season	GP	GS	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
UTSA Roadrunners
2019	9	4	38	491	12.9	3
2020	10	9	49	694	14.2	7
2021	13	13	81	1,027	12.7	12
2022	14	14	94	1,136	12.1	15
Ole Miss Rebels
2023	4	2	4	38	9.5	1
Illinois Fighting Illini
2024	13	13	55	652	11.9	4
Career	63	55	321	4,038	12.6	42

References

^ "Roland Parrish's Student Athlete of the Week: Zakhari Franklin". Dallas Weekly. October 28, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
^ "Cedar Hill WR Zakhari Franklin commits to UTSA". The Dallas Morning News. February 5, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
^ "Freshman receiver Zakhari Franklin emerging for UTSA Roadrunners". San Antonio Express-News. November 12, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ "The Lone Star 50: No. 35 Zakhari Franklin ready to step into spotlight at UTSA". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ "Takeaways: WR Franklin shines in UTSA's upset of Illinois". San Antonio Express-News. September 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ "UTSA's potent wideout trio aiming for explosive 2022 season". San Antonio Express-News. August 4, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ "UTSA transfer Zakhari Franklin lands at Ole Miss". San Antonio Express-News. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
^ "UTSA receiver Zakhari Franklin enters transfer portal". San Antonio Express-News. April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
^ Backus, Will (June 3, 2023). "Ole Miss lands UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin, the top player available in transfer portal". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

External links

[1] "Roland Parrish's Student Athlete of the Week: Zakhari Franklin". Dallas Weekly. October 28, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

[2] "Cedar Hill WR Zakhari Franklin commits to UTSA". The Dallas Morning News. February 5, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

[3] "Freshman receiver Zakhari Franklin emerging for UTSA Roadrunners". San Antonio Express-News. November 12, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[4] "The Lone Star 50: No. 35 Zakhari Franklin ready to step into spotlight at UTSA". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[5] "Takeaways: WR Franklin shines in UTSA's upset of Illinois". San Antonio Express-News. September 5, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[6] "UTSA's potent wideout trio aiming for explosive 2022 season". San Antonio Express-News. August 4, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[7] "UTSA transfer Zakhari Franklin lands at Ole Miss". San Antonio Express-News. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

[8] "UTSA receiver Zakhari Franklin enters transfer portal". San Antonio Express-News. April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.

[9] Backus, Will (June 3, 2023). "Ole Miss lands UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin, the top player available in transfer portal". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

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