Ole Miss Football’s Bentley, Franklin Named to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List

Ole Miss football senior running back Ulysses Bentley IV and senior wide receiver Zakhari Franklin have both been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List, as announced on Thursday.
 
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football and is named after Heisman Trophy winner and Tyler, Texas native Earl Campbell – who was a star running back at the University of Texas and with the Houston Oilers in the NFL. To be nominated, players must either have been born in Texas, graduated from a Texas high school, played at a Texas-based junior college, and played or is currently playing at a four-year institution in Texas.
 
Bentley and Franklin are among 69 total student-athletes selected to the preseason watch list, with Bentley among 16 running backs and Franklin among 22 wideouts.
 
This is the second career appearance on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List for the Houston native Bentley, who is in his second season at Ole Miss after transferring from SMU. Bentley appeared in six games for the Rebels in 2022 as he battled a wrist injury that caused him to miss a portion of the season. He ended with 73 total rushing yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. At SMU, Bentley tallied 1,559 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground in three seasons. In 2020, Bentley was the American’s Co-Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-AAC honoree after rushing for 913 yards and 11 touchdowns – the latter of which ranked as SMU’s freshman record.
 
Franklin, already a member of the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, is a native of Cedar Hill, Texas, and just transferred to Ole Miss from UTSA. He enters the 2023 season as the active FBS leader in career receptions (262), as well as second on the active list in career receiving yards (3,348).
 
Franklin has also been named a fourth team preseason All-SEC member by Phil Steele in recognition of his superb career with the Roadrunners. In 46 career games for UTSA, Franklin rewrote their record books en route to two first team All-Conference USA selections and an Honorable Mention All-America nod by Phil Steele in 2022. Franklin has notched 13 career 100-yard receiving games, and in 2022 was tied for second nationally in receiving touchdowns with 15.
 
The watch list will be narrowed to 16 semifinalists in November, and then up to five finalists in December as selected by broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans and previous winners. The finalists will be invited to Tyler, Texas for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet on Jan. 10, 2024. A player does not have to appear on the preseason watch list to be eligible to win the award.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports