Luigs Franklin garner All-America awards

FAYETTEVILLE – Senior center Jonathan Luigs and redshirt freshman Jerry Franklin were each named All-Americans this week by Phil Steele and Rivals.com, respectively.

Luigs was honored as a Phil Steele third-team All-American, his second All-America certificate of the fall. He is easily Arkansas’ most decorated player this season with his two All-Americas, Rimington Trophy finalist distinction and four post-season All-SEC accolades.

The anchor of Arkansas’ offensive line, Luigs helped running back Michael Smith become the ninth Razorback in history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Since he joined the Razorbacks, Arkansas has produced six 1,000-yard rushing seasons between Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Smith and in 2008 the Razorbacks also set a single season passing record with more than 3,000 yards in the air.

In his four-year playing career, Luigs started all 49 of his career games including 46-consecutive starts to conclude his career. In his 49 career games, Arkansas racked up 46 100-yard rushing performances.

Franklin took second-team Freshman All-America honors from Rivals.com. The All-America nod for Franklin is the first time he has been named as such, but the Marion, Ark., native has also garnered three national All-Freshman Team awards from Sporting News, Phil Steele and College Football News as well as two All-SEC awards.

This fall, Franklin led the Razorback defense in solo, assisted and total tackles as well as interceptions and fumble recoveries while calling the plays for the Arkansas defense. He racked up 89 total tackles, including 58 solo stops and 3.5 tackles for loss (-17). Proving his worth throughout the season, Franklin moved from inside to outside linebacker during the Mississippi State contest and never missed a beat as he filled in for what was a thin position due to injury.

For more information regarding Razorback football or University of Arkansas athletics please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.