Senior Feature -- Will Franklin
10/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 12, 2007
Five. To many people that may be just a number. But to the Tigers receiving corps, it signifies the number of years since Missouri had a 1,000-yard receiver. Senior X receiver William Franklin was well on his way to becoming just the third in program history to tally over 1,000 yards before tearing the labrum in his right shoulder during the 11th game of the 2006 season. Franklin finished his junior campaign with 829 yards, falling 171 yards short of his 1,000-yard goal.
After catching only six passes for 174 yards his freshman year, 2004-05, Franklin has since made his name known both nationally and locally. Coming out of Vashon High School, Franklin wasn't expected to become an instant leader. There were upperclassmen in place that helped him make the transition from high school to college.
“A lot of the older guys saw the talent in me and I wanted to get out and show it to everyone else right away,” Franklin said. “But like the saying goes, everything has it's plan. That's what pretty much got me through my first two years, being patient.”
“The person who helped me the most was definitely (Sean) Coffey. Coffey and Arnold Britt. Britt went to the same high school I did. Both of those guys really helped me in my first year or two (at Missouri). They had me following in their footsteps.”
With the majority of the receiving corps being underclassmen (of the 14 wide receivers on the roster, only four are seniors) Franklin and his fellow upperclassmen are looked to when their younger teammates are in need of support and advice.
“J-Mac (Jeremy Maclin), Jared Perry, Danario (Alexander), I do that for all of those guys. I do everything for those guys, probably more than what was done for me.”
As with most college football players, Franklin's dream is to go and play in the NFL.
“If there is a football player who tells you that it's not their dream (to play in the NFL), he's lying to you,” Franklin said. “That's the goal for all football players, to play in the NFL.”
In fact, Franklin almost achieved this goal last year, but withdrew his name from the draft, saying, “I knew we had something special here and I wanted to come back and be a part of it.”
The specialness he talked about has already been on display this year. The Missouri offense ranks fifth in total team offense in the entire NCAA, accounting for 544.25 yards per game, while ranking sixth in passing offense and 12th
in scoring offense, averaging 42 points per contest.
Besides his hometown of St. Louis, Franklin would love to go play with his close friend Laurence Maroney and the New England Patriots.
“I wouldn't mind being another part of that explosive offense they have now, with weapons on both sides of the ball. I wouldn't mind winning an NFL Championship.”
Once his playing career is over, William Franklin would like to go into the marketing side of the business field. It's something that's always interested him and he feels that every athlete should try to go for this aspect, because they've been going through it for at least four years and know what goes on with marketing, along with helping the next person get the same kind of exposure you had.
Despite growing up in Missouri, Mizzou was not always his dream school.
“Penn State. When I grew up that's all you'd see, the blue and white. I grew up watching Penn State and Missouri. But as I got older, I saw more of Corby Jones and Justin Gage. I realized this is somewhere I'd like to be,” Franklin said. “By the end of my junior year, I knew I wanted to stay in-state and play for my state school. For me, being close to my family and being able to go home were priority. Next though, the coaches were the main reason I decided to come to Missouri. Coach Ford, Coach Hill and Coach Pinkel just made it feel ight. I didn't see another team that made me feel that way. They were with me the entire time, not only during my senior year when I had a 1,000 yards receiving. That really stuck out.”
But he feels that by choosing Mizzou, he made the right choice. And Missouri Tiger football fans sure feel the same way. As Franklin said, “We have something special here.”
That the Tigers definitely do, and needless to say William Franklin plays a large role.
-- Mike Wojtychiw
