His name is Troy Franklin. He wears No. 11 and is a true sophomore out of East Palo Alto, California.
Franklin blew kisses to the silenced crowd in Pullman, Washington, as he celebrated his electric score. After catching a 24 yard post route from the slot, Franklin exhibited his improved contact balance by staying on his toes and sprinting 26 yards to the endzone to cap off the No. 6 Oregon Ducks’ (8-1, 6-0) resurgent comeback win against the Washington State Cougars in week four.
That play signified Franklin’s coming out party as he flexed his strength and determination by breaking the defender’s tackle and sprinting to the endzone.
Franklin’s 50 yard touchdown reception silenced the raucous crowd in Pullman, and brought his game total to five receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown.
That was his first time eclipsing 100 receiving yards this season and his collegiate career. He did it again in a top-10 matchup during week eight.
It’s evident he put in work this off-season to get to this level, but it goes back to the drive he had in high school.
Franklin’s production and success have his supporters on notice, but it comes as no surprise to his high school coaches Adhir Ravipati and Chris Saunders, who lauded his work ethic. They witnessed Franklin’s drive for success firsthand.
Saunders was his senior year coach and remains the current head coach of Franklin’s high school, Menlo Atherton. Ravipati has known Franklin since the wideout was an eighth grader, and coached him at Menlo Atherton until Saunders took over in 2020.
Coach Ravipati recalled a time that he and Franklin were driving to a workout and Franklin asked what it meant to be a 5-star recruit.
“I remember there was one time he and I were in a car and we were driving to a workout, and on our way he asked me what does it mean to be a 5-star recruit,” Ravipati said. “I remember him looking at me and kind of going like, ‘But coach I have so much more I need to work on, and I have so much more I can get better at.’ I think that’s the thing that differentiates and makes him great, right?”
Ravipati added that this memory has stuck with him as it defines Franklin’s drive to grow despite being a highly rated 4 and 5-star recruit by recruiting site metrics.
“A lot of people find out they’re a 5-star recruit, and they talk about how good they are,” Ravipati said. “For him, he was like, ‘I have so much room to grow and get better,’ I think it just shows the type of drive that he had.”
Coach Saunders reminisced on his time with his former star pupil.
“Pretty dang good, he’s always been a grinder you know; he’s always been a technician… He was always asking questions about how to do it,” Saunders said. “He definitely had a maturity that really supported his work ethic… is probably a big reason why he’s in this position that he’s in as a true sophomore.”
Franklin is the 19th-best recruit and third-ranked receiver on the Ducks’ all-time commitment list.
However, his freshman season didn’t go as planned. He recorded a modest 18 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in an offense that didn’t consistently target receivers downfield.
Back with a vengeance in 2022, Franklin vied to improve his game in all facets so he could make the contributions he’s displayed this season.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely added some weight. That’s one of the things that I’ve worked on; I feel like it’ll help my game a lot,” Franklin said. “It’s helped my game a lot being kind of a smaller guy going up against bigger DBs who use their strength… Just staying on my red line or whatever the case is, just helps with running routes.”
Franklin added that he prioritized his mental toughness this offseason to improve his game.
“My mental game, staying strong in the mental game. If I’m messing up on a play, flush it and get to the next one,” Franklin said at a press conference prior to the 2022 Spring Game. “Trying to fight through all that stuff, definitely being stronger this time around is a big thing for me.”
Even more impressively, Franklin has shown strong rapport in his first year with starting quarterback Bo Nix; you would think the duo played together their whole lives.
Their chemistry has been on full display in Oregon’s biggest moments this season.
During a media session prior to the Ducks’ recent game against the Colorado Buffaloes, Nix chimed in on Franklin’s emergence.
“I mean he’s really good. He’s one of the top in the nation; he just continues to grow and gain experience. A guy like that, the more he sees the more he develops the better he’s going to be, and Troy’s starting to figure it out and starting to play really, really well,” Nix said. “He’s done that for us all year, whenever we need him he’s always there; we can scheme him up in ways, but he also finds ways to get himself open.”
On top of spending quality time in the weight room and kitchen this offseason, Franklin attributed his development to competition with another new Ducks teammate, lockdown cornerback, Colorado transfer Christian Gonzalez.
“It prepares me a lot, I definitely think Gonzo’s one of the best corners in the conference, if not college football,” Franklin said. “Working with the best every day just gives me the confidence to go out there and know that no one else can mess with me, that I’m going against the best every day.”
In week eight, Franklin ran all over the No. 9 UCLA Bruins’ defensive backfield. He posted the first multiple touchdown game of his college career while he caught eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns, building off his breakout play versus the Cougars.
The Bruins had no solution to their Franklin problem.
Franklin’s breakout season has been something Duck fans have been waiting for since he committed to his “dream school” June 12, 2020.
“Oregon was always my dream school. Cristobal did a great job recruiting me. I really liked him and Bryan McClendon, my old receiver coach,” Franklin said at a press conference.
Franklin leads the Ducks in every receiving related statistic with 39 receptions, 636 yards and five touchdowns. He’s on pace to join the likes of former Ducks Dillon Mitchell, Byron Marshall and Josh Huff as 1,000 yard receivers in the last decade.
With last season in the rearview and new career bests for Franklin already in the record books, the future will be a sight to see.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him, whether it’s a Biletnikoff or whether it’s the NFL,” Ravipati said. “He has a lot of abilities that you just don’t see in people naturally; I mean a kid for his height, length, to have the type of one-step acceleration that he has and his ability to attack the football, he does a lot of things that you can’t teach, frankly.”
There’s no doubting Franklin’s ability. He’s made countless contested catches and displayed superb body control this season. He has a wiry 6-foot-3, 178 pound frame that can continue to add muscle, which will only make him more of a lethal wideout.
