The Ole Miss wide receiver room is already reasonably stacked, and many are transfers. But it’ll get even better when Zakhari Franklin steps on the field for the Rebels. The UTSA transfer is in his first year in Oxford but has yet to see the field.
Initially, the holdup seemed to be based on the fact that a few of his course credits weren’t transferring from UTSA to Ole Miss. Because of these issues, his eligibility was suddenly in question.
Then, towards the end of the Summer, his name finally appeared on the roster. This seemed to be an indication that the credit issue had been resolved. Naturally, this was major news for Rebels fans who had been keeping up with the ordeal.
And then early last week, more bad news broke surrounding Franklin. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin announced that he had yet to practice for the Rebels. The new issue seems to surround a minor off-season procedure that was done on his knee, according to reports.
Timeline For His Return?
Now, the question becomes when will Franklin finally suit up for his new team.
The answer: no one knows. Ole Miss and Kiffin have remained relatively mum on the subject. But worth noting is that Franklin is still being left off of the depth chart for this week’s matchup against Tulane. That news comes courtesy of Michael Katz at Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
The updated Ole Miss depth chart. Of note: no “or” at QB. Jaxson Dart is alone at the top. pic.twitter.com/AVoF13lUm8
— Michael Katz (@MichaelLKatz) September 4, 2023
That news came out on Monday. However, slightly better news broke the very next day. According to Jared Redding of 247Sports, Franklin participated in Tuesday’s practice, albeit in a limited fashion. It’s the first reported practice that he’s been a part of since Kiffin made his announcement. This almost assures us that he will miss the Tulane matchup.
Following this week’s game, Ole Miss’ next two opponents are Georgia Tech and Alabama. Even if he’s ruled out vs. Tulane, for most Rebel fans, it’s safe to assume you want him back for next week’s game against the Yellow Jackets. This would give him the ability to get a few live snaps in before the huge matchup against Alabama on September 23.
But that’s assuming he’s able to return in time for the Alabama game in the first place. There’s certainly no guarantee of that, at this point.
Impact Franklin Brings To The Roster
While he hasn’t played a down for Ole Miss yet, we’ve already seen him in his time at UTSA. It’s safe to say he’s explosive. In his four seasons as a Roadrunner, Franklin never had fewer than 38 receptions in a season, and that was his freshman year.
Over the last two seasons, he’s caught 81 and 94 passes, respectively. Both of those ended up being 1,000+ yard campaigns, including 1,136 yards last year. That was good for 11th in the FBS. On top of those numbers, he’s also caught 30 career touchdown passes.
While not a traditional deep threat, as he’s more of a sure-handed possession receiver, he has shown flashes of having the speed to go deep and get past the secondary on occasion. With a high-powered offense under Kiffin at Ole Miss, expect him to have plenty of chances to do both.
The Rest of the Receivers Picking Up Slack In Franklin’s Absence
While it may be unfortunate that Franklin hasn’t been able to play for the Rebels yet, the rest of the receivers made sure to make up for his absence. Though it’s only been one game, Ole Miss threw for 524 yards in their 73-7 win over Mercer. Those 524 yards went to 13 different receivers.
Of those 13, two in particular had tremendous days. Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris led the way, catching six passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns, which set an Ole Miss single-game record for touchdowns by a receiver. Apart from Harris, Louisville transfer Jordan Watkins, in his second year at Ole Miss, caught six passes also, for 111 yards.
With those two guys, as well as a healthy Michael Trigg, and freshman Ayden Williams, the passing game should be fine in Franklin’s absence. However, when you have a guy with his kind of talent on the roster, naturally you want that talent on the field.
A return date hasn’t been set, but when he does, SEC defenses will be sure to take notice.
