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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
204 lb (93 kg) |
33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
4.64 s | 1.66 s | 2.69 s | 4.38 s | 7.12 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | ||
| All values from Pro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
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.
- ^ "Zakhari Franklin College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
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