The 6-foot-2, 197-pound senior outfielder batted .571 with four home runs and 21 RBI this past season, leading the Panthers to a 15-10 record and the Class 3A Metro League semifinals. Ranked as the state's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017 by Perfect Game, Franklin is a three-time First Team All-Metro selection and participated in the 2016 Area Code Games.
Franklin has maintained a 3.37 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Michigan this fall.
An altar server at his church, he has volunteered locally on behalf his parish youth group and was selected as a senior leader for his school's Young Men's Retreat. "Jesse Franklin has been the best hitter in our league and this year he was the top defensive player and the best base-runner," said Kellen Sundin, head coach at Lakeside High. "He is incredibly talented but I appreciate the way he plays the game. He does not make it about him and is a terrific teammate."
