Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
QB turned receiver Franklin brings versatility to offense
BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic receiver John Franklin III is so talented he can learn new plays in the shortest of times.
Take last week’s game against Bethune-Cookman. Coach Lane Kiffin drew up a play on a piece of paper on the bus ride from the team hotel to FAU Stadum. It involved Franklin lining up under center and running a quarterback draw. Kiffin texted a pic to Franklin and a few hours later the play was called.
It resulted in an 18-yard run that nearly went for a long touchdown. Being a quick study and versatile player has made Franklin, a quarterback turned receiver, one of the Owls’ most dangerous offensive weapons.
“That’s where I see myself in football, period,” Franklin said. “That’s one of the reasons I made the switch, because I feel like I have the skills set that a lot of people don’t have. Why limit myself to one thing? I’ve been having a lot of fun with it.”
Although Kiffin maintains he wants Franklin to excel at receiver, there is no doubt the Owls will use his versatility to their advantage. Franklin, now a graduate student, was initially recruited as a quarterback out of South Plantation High School in 2013. He signed with Florida State before transferring to East Mississippi Community College and eventually landed at Auburn.
Last month FAU became the final stop of his much-traveled college career.
“Obviously, that gives defenses a lot of issues because they’ve got to practice for it,” Kiffin said, “but we don’t want to do that very much at all. If we do that a bunch, he’s not getting better at receiver. We’re still trying to get him in our system at receiver.”
When Franklin arrived at FAU, he often joked with the coaching staff that he was still able to play quarterback. The Owls appear set at the position, with starter Daniel Parr and backup Jason Driskel. Franklin will have to settle for appearing under center in gimmick appearances to throw off defenses.
He doesn’t appear to mind.
“I never wanted to play quarterback,” Franklin said. “I was forced to play it my freshman year of high school.”
Playing receiver has allowed him to make better use of his abilities. Now, it’s just a matter of adjusting to playing a new position. He played some receiver at Auburn, but it is still relatively foreign to him.
“I feel a lot better than I did before,” Franklin said. “It’s just fine-tuning things, as far as staying low in my routes. I’m a lot better coming out of breaks. I feel like I’ve always had natural hands, so catching the ball isn’t a big problem. It’s just running my routes. That’s been something I’ve been trying to focus on.”
Franklin is so confident with the move that he feels he can play a variety of positions, including running back and kick and punt returner. The Owls have no plans of moving him, but he is open to playing just about anywhere.
“To be honest, I feel like I can play them all,” Franklin said. “I can play whatever. If I could do it all over again, I’d learn how to be a kicker. They got it made.”