Lane Kiffin shares latest on Zakhari Franklin's status

There have been some hiccups with Ole Miss wide receiver Zakhari Franklin since he transferred over from UTSA. After some academic logistics had to be worked out for him to arrive, now Franklin is missing practice time thanks to an undisclosed injury situation.

On Thursday, Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin met with media and was asked about Franklin’s status but declined to discuss the situation, noting he doesn’t like to speak on injuries.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re not going to get a lot from me on injuries or a lot of information on that,” said Kiffin. “Just how it is. So he’s not out there yet. We would anticipate him to be out there and playing for us, but he is not today.”

So no Franklin at practice for the time being, even though Kiffin and the Ole Miss staff did “anticipate” him to be out there as of now. Alas, the saga draws on.

More on Zakhari Franklin

Via On3’s Matt Zenitz

One of the later portal commitments for Lane Kiffin and Co. was the highest-rated target available when he pledged to Ole Miss, per On3’s Transfer Portal rankings. Franklin was a first-team All-Conference USA selection each of the last two seasons after putting up video games numbers.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Franklin posted combined totals of 174 catches, 2,164 yards and 27 touchdowns at UTSA these last two seasons, including 93 catches for 1,137 yards and 15 TDs last year. The 15 touchdown catches was tied for second-best nationally.

Franklin was a part of an 11-3 UTSA team in 2022 which won the Conference USA title. In 2021, the Roadrunners also won the league title and finished — and was a key cog for both squads. He eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in two straight seasons, the only wide receiver in UTSA history to accomplish this feat. He also averaged close to 13 yards per reception throughout his career and is a welcomed addition to a room which lost both Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo.

The All-American wideout was a three-star prospect and the No. 2,494 overall recruit in the 2019 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Franklin checked in as the No. 345 receiver in his class and the No. 344 player in the state of Texas from Cedar Hill High School.