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Franklin Tabbed to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
8/3/2023 12:00:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke redshirt senior Ja'Mion Franklin has been selected to the preseason watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, college football's premier award for community service and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports.
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Franklin, who was named a team captain in the spring, returns for his final year at Duke and his second consecutive as the Blue Devils' starting defensive tackle. On the field, he has appeared in 38 career games (13 starts) and has registered 44 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and two quarterback pressures. He has recorded two-plus tackles in 12 games, including a career-high five tackles against Georgia Tech in 2022.
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Franklin graduated from Duke in May with a bachelor's degree in visual studies and a certificate in policy journalism and media studies. He is a two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient, NFF Hampshire Honor Society member and currently holds a 3.30 grade point average.
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Away from the classroom, the 6-2, 309-pound defensive tackle has been giving back to his local communities for years. As a part of Duke's Student-Athlete Development program, Franklin meets with local second through fifth graders from a variety of different Durham Public Schools to help them meet reading initiative goals throughout the year. In addition, Franklin has assisted with the Durham Rescue Mission and Urban Ministries of Durham, sorting through inventory to help the faith-based, non-profit organization provide food, support and shelter to those in need. Franklin has also worked closely with the Be the Match organization, collecting names of individuals willing to be added to the donor registry for bone marrow or cord blood transplant surgery. Earlier this year, the Ridgely, Md., native was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.Â
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College Football's Premier Award for Community Service, and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports, The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Wuerffel Trophy embodies Danny's commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 2nd, and finalists will be announced on November 28th. The formal announcement of the 2023 recipient is scheduled to be made on December 7th or 8th during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN, and the presentation of the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy will take place on February 17, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, GA.
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Season and single-game tickets as well as mini plans for the 2023 campaign are now available by visiting GoDuke.com/footballtix.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".
Duke Players on 2023 NCFAA Watch Lists
Maxwell Award: Riley Leonard
Outland Trophy: Graham Barton
Bronko Nagurski Trophy: DeWayne Carter
Ray Guy Award: Porter Wilson
Wuerffel Trophy: Ja'Mion Franklin
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#GoDuke
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Franklin, who was named a team captain in the spring, returns for his final year at Duke and his second consecutive as the Blue Devils' starting defensive tackle. On the field, he has appeared in 38 career games (13 starts) and has registered 44 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and two quarterback pressures. He has recorded two-plus tackles in 12 games, including a career-high five tackles against Georgia Tech in 2022.
Â
Franklin graduated from Duke in May with a bachelor's degree in visual studies and a certificate in policy journalism and media studies. He is a two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient, NFF Hampshire Honor Society member and currently holds a 3.30 grade point average.
Â
Away from the classroom, the 6-2, 309-pound defensive tackle has been giving back to his local communities for years. As a part of Duke's Student-Athlete Development program, Franklin meets with local second through fifth graders from a variety of different Durham Public Schools to help them meet reading initiative goals throughout the year. In addition, Franklin has assisted with the Durham Rescue Mission and Urban Ministries of Durham, sorting through inventory to help the faith-based, non-profit organization provide food, support and shelter to those in need. Franklin has also worked closely with the Be the Match organization, collecting names of individuals willing to be added to the donor registry for bone marrow or cord blood transplant surgery. Earlier this year, the Ridgely, Md., native was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.Â
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College Football's Premier Award for Community Service, and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports, The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Wuerffel Trophy embodies Danny's commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society.
Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 2nd, and finalists will be announced on November 28th. The formal announcement of the 2023 recipient is scheduled to be made on December 7th or 8th during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN, and the presentation of the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy will take place on February 17, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, GA.
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Season and single-game tickets as well as mini plans for the 2023 campaign are now available by visiting GoDuke.com/footballtix.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".
Duke Players on 2023 NCFAA Watch Lists
Maxwell Award: Riley Leonard
Outland Trophy: Graham Barton
Bronko Nagurski Trophy: DeWayne Carter
Ray Guy Award: Porter Wilson
Wuerffel Trophy: Ja'Mion Franklin
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#GoDuke
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