It’s rare to see a freshman playing varsity football in a top program like Menlo-Atherton. Usually, kids in those situations are brought up as a ceremonial JV call-up come playoff time or towards the end of the regular season if the roster has been decimated by injuries.

Not Troy Franklin. The 6-foot-2 freshman was an integral receiver for Menlo-Atherton throughout his freshman year, starting with 105 yards in his first game against Bellarmine and accruing seven receiving touchdowns plus an eighth score on a kick return over the course of his first year of high school.

Franklin even moonlighted on defense, with three pass deflections and an interception in his brief cameos for a deep M-A secondary. His prowess has already drawn offers from Hawaii, San Jose State and Utah, as well as interest from other Pac-12 programs and even Clemson.

Perhaps the most impressive thing Franklin brought to the table was his poise and composure. In an entire season in which he competed against top competition, he was as smooth as they came, fitting in seamlessly with the rest of the receiving corps. It seemed like no moment was too big for him, headlined by his career-high 124-yard performance in a CCS Open Division I quarterfinal win at San Benito.

“We’ve had college coaches watch him that are amazed by what he can do,” said head coach Adhir Ravipati. “He doesn’t play like a freshman.”

The only time Franklin ever had anything of a “freshman moment” was in that opening game against Bellarmine, when he was stripped at the end of a 52-yard catch-and-run. Luckily for Franklin and the Bears, Joey Olshausen fell on the ball in the end zone for the touchdown.

With three more years of high school to come, the legend will only grow further. As with many players of his caliber, that legend started before he even arrived at Menlo-Atherton.

“We started hearing about him in eighth grade,” added Ravipati.

With other talented receivers like Spencer Corona and Nick Anderson on the roster, Franklin was one of many big-time weapons, and even though those two will be graduating, he won’t be alone moving forward. Olshausen, Jake Wang, and a boatload of talented sophomores from a 10-0 JV squad will round out what should be an impressive crop for years to come.

For now, we are pleased to honor Franklin as our Prep2Prep Central Coast Section Freshman of the Year.