Heralded Tulsa and Florida Running Backs Commit to ABC
Heralded running backs Michael Harris of Tulsa, Okla., and Juwan Franklin of Dunnellon, Fla., will be in Little Rock this weekend to report for the start of football practice at Arkansas Baptist College.
Athletic director Charles Ripley said Friday that Harris and Franklin had told him they would enroll for classes at ABC and play for the Buffaloes, who have Arkansas’ only junior college football program.
ABC’s first season of JC football is this year. Twelve months ago school president Dr. Fitz Hill announced that ABC was starting a football program, seeing it as a platform for promoting higher education in Arkansas.
Harris, 5-9, 190 pounds, and Franklin, 6-1, 210 pounds, were part of the 2007 University of Arkansas signing class, but have fallen short of meeting academic requirements for admission to the university.
“I’m thrilled Michael and Juwan want to be a part of Buffalo football,” ABC coach Richard Wilson said. “We’ll always take good players that have the desire to improve both academically and athletically. Dr. Hill’s mission is to develop the whole person, not just the athlete.”
Harris, who has 4.4 speed in the 40, rushed for 1,934 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School. He also returned two punts for touchdowns and caught a TD pass, playing for a district championship team. He’s a former high school teammate of UofA running back Felix Jones.
With over 5,000 yards, Harris holds the Booker T. Washington career rushing record. He was the Tulsa World Metro Player of the Year in 2006. Rivals.com rated him the No. 9 prospect in the state of Oklahoma and the No. 42 running back in the nation. In signing with Arkansas, Harris chose the Razorbacks over Texas Tech.
Franklin rushed for 1,667 yards and 28 touchdowns last year for Dunnellon High School, which won 7 of 10 games. He bench presses 300 pounds and has timed 4.3 in the 40.During the recruiting process, Rivals.com ranked Franklin as the No. 11 all-purpose back in the nation and the No. 46 prospect in Florida. His other final college choices were West Virginia, Kentucky and Florida International.
“We face a lot of challenges as we start a two-year football program, but it’s a noble cause and we’re going to make a difference in the lives of many young people,” Wilson said.
Ripley expects around 200 players at the ABC gymnasium Sunday for the first team meeting. The ABC roster includes two other players who signed in previous years with the University of Arkansas – wide receiver Terrance Hampton of Warren and defensive end Kevin Hubbard of Sylvan Hills.
Physicals will be Tuesday and practice begins Wednesday in shorts at the Dalton Whetstone Boys & Girls Club (all practices are open to the public). A Hunting for Buffaloes Purple-White Game is set for Aug. 18 at War Memorial Stadium. ABC’s season opener is Sept. 1 against Trinity Valley Community College at Athens, Tex, and its home opener is Sept. 6 against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.