The college football season in Texas starts a week earlier than normal with a Week 0 matchup between North Texas and UTEP. To celebrate us making it through another off-season, we’re counting down the 50 most important players in Texas every day until Aug. 27. The list isn’t necessarily about which players are the best, though talent plays a major factor in most important.

No. 35: Zakhari Franklin, UTSA senior wide receiver 

The History

Franklin was an unheralded two-star recruit out of Cedar Hill in the 2019 recruiting class who picked the Roadrunners over eight other offers, including Bowling Green, Colorado State, and Liberty. He didn’t hold a single P5 offer despite earning first-team all-district honors as a senior in one of the toughest districts in Texas. Franklin caught 23 passes for 687 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior, averaging 29.9 yards a catch. 

Franklin immediately began to overachieve his recruiting ranks as a true freshman in 2019 when he recorded 38 receptions (tied for first on the team) for 491 yards (second on the team by one yard) and three scores. He was an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection as a sophomore in 2020 after collecting 694 yards and seven touchdowns on 49 receptions despite missing two games. 

Franklin rewrote the record book at UTSA for a receiver in 2021 as a junior doing the C-USA championship season. He set the single-season school record in receptions (81), receiving yards (1,027), and receiving touchdowns (12). He’s already the career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches entering the 2022 season. 

The Skillset 

Franklin might not possess blazing speed or the ideal length for an outside receiver, but he’s always open (even when he’s covered) and does a tremendous job beating defenders for 50-50 balls. He attributes that ability to his days playing basketball at Cedar Hill. The 6-1, 185-pound Franklin possesses tremendous body control, strong hands, and is excellent in intermediate routes. Franklin is also an excellent blocker who doesn’t mind doing the dirty work. Franklin was named to the All-Texas College First Team heading into the 2022 season by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. 

The Impact  

UTSA was one of only three programs in the nation with three receivers to record at least 50 catches, 750 yards, and six receiving touchdowns. The only other two programs to do so – Ohio State and Appalachian State – lost at least one of the players from that trio after the 2021 season. UTSA returns all three with Franklin leading the charge. His ability to demand double teams allows fellow receivers Joshua Cephus and De’Corian “JT” Clark one-on-one opportunities against opponents’ second- and third-best cover corners. Franklin continues to put up all-conference numbers despite opponents knowing he’s the program’s go-to receiver. 

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