RB Leon Franklin of Michigan accesses the transfer portal
Over the previous three seasons, Franklin spent the most of his playing time on the special teams. During his stint in the program, he has also received numerous awards like the Scout Team Player of the Week.
He will play one more game with the team as he wraps out his Michigan career, but after the 2024 season and beyond, he’ll probably be searching for a new place to call home and one where he can play more frequently.
Franklin gained his career total of 75 yards on 23 carries in Ann Arbor. In his career, he has made two trips to the end zone. The first came late in the 59-0 victory over UCONN in 2022 on a 20-yard touchdown pass. In the massive 52-10 victory for the Wolverines in Minneapolis, he also scored one on the ground against Minnesota.
On the field, this may not seem like a huge deal to fans, but Franklin was seemingly a team guy, which is hard to find these days. He is a veteran on a team that won three Big Ten Championships and prepped the defense to face some of the best backs that the conference had to offer.
Franklin is now the second running back from Michigan to answer the transfer portal. The other was sophomore CJ Stokes, who lost playing time to Kaleel Mullings and others this season. With the solid recruiting that Mike Hart has done in the running back room, the Wolverines continue to pull in big-time recruits like Cole Cabana (a freshman this year) and Jordan Marshall (Mr. Ohio, who signed with Michigan on Wednesday).
Playing time is becoming hard to come by in Ann Arbor, especially in a running back room that is loaded with talent. Franklin earned his degree, still has a shot a national title this season, and then will have a chance to earn some more playing time elsewhere come 2024.
