Ole Miss, ‘known for putting receivers in the (NFL),’ has two named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List

Ole Miss senior wide receivers Zakhari Franklin and Tre Harris have both been named to the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation on Monday.

Franklin and Harris are among 49 FBS receivers on the list. Eight are from the SEC. The Biletnikoff Award is awarded annually to college football’s most outstanding FBS receiver.

Ole Miss is one of just nine programs nationally with multiple watch list honorees and one of just two from its conference. The other is Georgia, the reigning national champion.

Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award, which is named after Fred Biletnikoff, a Hall of Fame inductee in both college and the NFL.

Biletnikoff, a wide receiver, was a consensus All-America at Florida State and, later, an All-Pro receiver for the Oakland Raiders. He caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year Raiders career from 1965 through 1978. He was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI.

Franklin is a senior transfer from UTSA.

He enters the 2023 season as the active FBS leader in career receptions (262). He’s second on the active list in career receiving yards (3,348). Franklin didn’t arrive at Ole Miss until late-July. He recently underwent a knee scope that is expected to keep him out until at least middle of August camp.

The injury has put into question his potential availability for the team’s season-opening game against Mercer September 2.

“Day one, you’re not going to get a lot from me on injuries or a lot of information on that. It’s just how it is,” now-fourth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said last Wednesday, the first day and practice for the Rebels in the preseason.

“He’s not out there yet. We would anticipate him to be out there and playing for us, but he’s not today.”

Franklin was a fourth-team preseason All-SEC selection by Phil Steele. Franklin rewrote record books In 46 career games for UTSA and was a two-time first-team All-Conference USA selection. Steele also named Franklin an honorable mention All-American in 2022.

Franklin had 13 career 100-yard receiving games. Last season he tied for second nationally in receiving touchdowns (15). He made the the Biletnikoff watch list last year, too, as did Harris, a senior transfer from Louisiana Tech.

Harris last season led Louisiana Tech in receiving yards (935) and touchdowns (10).

In all, Harris saw action in 31 games with 21 starts over his La Tech career. He hauled in 1,529 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

“(The SEC) was one of the biggest factors,” Harris said of his decision to transfer, in a previous one-on-one interview with the Ole Miss Spirit. Harris was ranked by Pro Football Focus in May as the highest-graded returning receiver in the SEC.

“Another was (Rebel head) coach (Lane) Kiffin. He puts guys in the league, especially receivers. Ole Miss, the university itself, is known for putting receivers in the league. It was everything I was really asking for.

“Who wouldn’t want to play for Lane Kiffin?”

The 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner will be recognized during a banquet at the Dunlap Champions Club, at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Watch lists for the Maxwell, Outland, Bronco Nagurski, Lou Groza, Ray Guy, Paul Hornung and Mackey awards, as well as Wuerffel, Mackey and Rimington trophies, have already been released.

Watch lists for the Davey O’Brien, Doak Walker, Butkus, Jim Thorpe and Walter Camp awards will all be released this week.