Owl's big audition
FAU’s Franklin ready to put on show at other scouting combine.
Referring to for
BOCA RATON — mer Florida Atlantic wide receiver John Franklin III’s five years in college as a journey would be like saying Owls coach Lane Kiffin enjoys using social media.
A three-star recruit from South Plantation when he signed with Florida State in 2013, Franklin played two years with the Seminoles — winning a national championship in 2013 as Jameis Winston’s backup — before transferring to East Mississippi Community College, best known for the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” After a year in Scooba (Miss.), Franklin transferred to Auburn and played quarterback for the
Tigers in 2016 before returning home to play for Kiffin’s Owls last August.
“Living it was even more crazy than talking about it,” Franklin told The Post earlier this month. “I feel like everything happens for a reason and throughout all those stops and all those different journeys to those places, I learned a lot and I learned more about me in how I grew as a player, how I grew as a man. Each place taught me something different, and if I had to do it all over again, I would.”
Now, after a video of him running an alleged 4.19 40-yard dash went viral, Franklin has been preparing for the National Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and hoping his blazing speed can earn him a job in the NFL. Intended for athletes who are not invited to the NFL combine, the National Scouting Combine charges players a fee to attend and go through interviews and testing similar to what those prospects invited to the NFL combine will be doing in the same city this week.
“(I’m just hoping to show) the
transition has been expanded upon, that it was working at FAU,” Franklin said. “Whatever I need to play in (the NFL), I can showcase my ability in front of all those toplevel scouts.”
In his first year as a wide receiver after moving from quarterback, Franklin caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown while adding 229 rushing yards on 16 carries. After quarterback Daniel Parr’s demotion from the starting job in Week 4, Franklin essentially served as the Owls’ backup quarterback and often operated out of a Wildcat formation.
Franklin says he wants to play wide receiver in the NFL and hopes teams will be willing to look past his lack of experience at the position and give him a chance based on his speed. Franklin will have a chance today at the National Scouting Combine to prove the validity of his 4.19 40.
There’s a history of college quarterbacks transitioning into successful NFL wide receivers. New England Patriots star Julian Edelman was a starting QB at Kent State. Former Pittsburgh Steelers stars Hines Ward (Georgia) and Antwaan Randle El (Indiana) played wide receiver in the NFL after spending time under center in college.
“I don’t try to compare — I pick up little things here and there,” Franklin said. “I’m just trying to perfect my best version of myself. … Even when I started playing quarterback, I figured that at the next level, I’d have to play receiver just because of my skill set and my speed, really. That’s appealing to put outside and use in multiple ways.”
Though Franklin was slowly phased out of the FAU receiving game as true freshman Willie Wright emerged and Kalib Woods dominated after returning from suspension, the fifth-year senior remained a viable threat in the offense because of his legs.
Franklin also agreed with recent FAU signees that Kiffin and his staff gave him a good chance of making it to the NFL.
“I feel like that’s a very appealing thing and from my experiences at FAU, that was the first time we practiced a similar schedule (to that of pro teams),” Franklin said. “Just the fact that we weren’t always out there practicing, but we were getting work in and I feel like that correlates to how the NFL is now. … This is a great environment, a great atmosphere and this is how (things would be) at the next level.”
“I don’t think my journey was supposed to be easy, clearly,” Franklin said, “but for some reason I’m still where I am today. There’s a reason behind it — and I don’t know it now — but I know it’s a blessing through the struggles and I think all that was preparing me for (now).”