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

Early life

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

Year Team Games Receiving
GPGSRecYardsAvgTD
2019UTSA 943849112.93
2020UTSA 1094969414.27
2021UTSA 1313811,02712.712
2022UTSA 1414941,13612.115
2023Ole Miss 424389.51
2024Illinois 13135565211.94
Career63553214,03812.642

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad 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)		6 ft 6 in
(1.98 m)		4.64 s1.66 s2.69 s4.38 s7.12 s30.5 in
(0.77 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)
All values from Pro Day[10]

Las Vegas Raiders

On May 9, 2025, Franklin signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft.[11] He was waived on July 22.[12]

Montreal Alouettes

On February 25, 2026, Franklin signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[13]

References

  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.
  10. ↑ "Zakhari Franklin College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Raiders sign 15 undrafted free agents". Raiders.com. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Raiders sign 5 free agents, waive 4 players". Raiders.com. July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ Dupont, Francis (February 25, 2026). "Alouettes sign American receiver Zakhari Franklin". Montreal Alouettes. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakhari_Franklin