Troy Franklin was one of the crown jewels of Oregon football’s 2021 recruiting class and he joined one of the deepest receiver rooms in the country.
It was going to be an uphill battle to earn some playing time from the second he stepped foot on campus in the winter, but he took a big step this spring, putting up some wild numbers in the spring game.
Not only did he look like a budding star in the spring game, but he also showed that he developed a strong connection with both Anthony Brown and Ty Thompson. As we now know, Brown is the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2021 season against Fresno State. Having that connection in place is only going to help Franklin.
But it’s still not going to be easy to earn snaps over guys like Johnny Johnson, Jaylon Redd, Mycah Pittman, and Devon Williams. Heck, even Josh Delgado, Isaah Crocker, and Kris Hutson are going to be tough to pass up for playing time, but Franklin has as good a shot as any of those guys to see the field extensively this season.
Franklin is just a different type of talent and he’s built for a position battle like this and if there’s one player outside of that starting group that’s going to put up big numbers, I think it’ll be him.
Franklin is going to be a Freshman All-American
The freshman receiver from California had a big spring and has continued his progress into the fall as one of the more impressive young wideouts on the roster.
No, he’s not going to start right away, but he has the potential to do that in year one if someone goes down with an injury or underperforms. I think he’ll be the first to get a call other than Devon Williams.
I’m not the only one who thinks this.
In fact, 247Sports also thinks he could be a Freshman All-American this season.
Just named to 247 True Freshman All-American list ✅
— ☘️LegalizeQuack☘️ (@Legalize_Quack) August 20, 2021
"The wide receiver culture is about to change, in large part because of Troy Franklin at Oregon". pic.twitter.com/cwkD4YUSV0
A 6-2, 170-pound speedy receiver with good instincts, strong hands, and great route-running who Brandon Huffman of 247Sports compares to Marqise Lee? I wouldn’t bet against him being a Freshman All-American in 2021.