Franklin III gets final shot with Owls
Kiffin convinced athletic Auburn quarterback to transfer to FAU
BOCA RATON — John Franklin III finally relented at 12:17 p.m. on Friday. He’d just finished his first practice as a Florida Atlantic receiver, but still he found a way to be the last Owl on the field.
As some of his teammates sought refuge in the shade or in the ice baths, Franklin gravitated to the Jugs machine. The Auburn transfer wanted to work on his pass-catching after spending most of his collegiate career as a quarterback. He caught balls in front of him, at his side, one-handed, and without gloves.
When he finished, nearly three hours after practice began, Franklin explained why FAU became his fourth school in five years.
“I was just like ‘I need to be on the field,’ ” Franklin said. “This is my last shot to pursue my dream and I have to be on the field every play, not just some plays. Coach [Lane] Kiffin presented that opportunity to me, and it was just the perfect situation because I get to be back home, be with my family and just have fun.
“That’s what it’s all about. I wasn’t really having too much fun, just to be able have fun in my last year, that’s what I made my decision on.”
After graduating from South Plantation, Franklin originally enrolled at Florida State in 2013 and then transferred to East Mississippi Community College in 2015. He spent one season there — including being featured on the popular Netflix series “Last Chance U” — before signing with Auburn.
Last season, he was a backup quarterback for the Tigers, completing 14 of 26 passes for 204 yards. He also added 430 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Auburn’s coaching staff moved him to receiver in the spring. He’ll play receiver for FAU, as well.
Kiffin said the Owls coaching staff did not think about moving Franklin back to quarterback. The Owls currently have a three-way quarterback competition between De’Andre Johnson, Jason Driskel and Daniel Parr.
“We brought him here to play receiver,” Kiffin said. “We feel good about our quarterbacks.”
Kiffin said the staff hadn’t seen much of Franklin at receiver while he was at Auburn, but his athleticism still showed when he was a quarterback. For the last three seasons, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at Alabama, Auburn’s biggest rival.
“You’re able to see movement stuff, cutting up,” Kiffin said. “Him playing in space with the ball on some of those read-options where the ball gets out has a couple of really long runs. Averaged 10 yards a carry, so you can see the skill set there. Now, we just got to coach him up on playing receiver, the ins and outs of doing that.”
Franklin said he’s fully comfortable playing receiver, and he even enjoys it more than playing quarterback. He’ll also inject instant speed into the Owls’ receiving corps: Franklin said he ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash during the spring.
“It’s not hard,” Franklin said. “It’s just catching the ball and running past people.”
Franklin said FAU was the main school he considered once he decided to transfer from Auburn, and it was somewhat of a blind leap. Because August is a dead period in college football, Franklin could not even visit FAU before deciding. Kiffin had to convince him over the phone.
Franklin said he would not be at FAU if Kiffin wasn’t the coach.
“Probably not, to be honest,” Franklin said. “His track record, that’s one of the biggest things. He called and said he needed a playmaker.”
Both Kiffin and Franklin don’t expect Franklin to take long to pick up offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ system. Kiffin labeled it “easy to learn.” Franklin said “it doesn’t seem like it’s a very complex system.”
For Franklin, learning new playbooks is something he’s used to. With four teams in five years, it’s become a necessity. He said it’s easier for him to study schemes because he’s always learned through the eyes of a quarterback.
“To be honest, they’re all the same,” Franklin said. “Football is football. Everybody runs the same things, it’s just what you call it.”
Franklin’s arrival at FAU is also a reunion of sorts. The Owls have two other former Seminoles: Johnson and defensive end Kain Daub. Johnson also shared a quarterback room with Franklin at EMCC.
“We’ve been following each other everywhere,” Franklin said. “I guess, I think it was just meant to be.”
FAU tight ends coach Clint Trickett was previously the quarterbacks coach at EMCC.
mdefranks@sun-sentinel.com, Twitter @MDeFranks