Lock’s early struggles offer Franks hope
ATLANTA — A quick perusal of social media, college football sites and the countless blogs with an opinion would make it seem University of Florida redshirt sophomore Feleipe Franks has absolutely no chance to become a successful quarterback in the Southeastern Conference.
But SEC Media Days last week featured a quarterback who bounced back after his first season to become one of the premier signal-callers in the conference: Missouri’s Drew Lock.
Lock, 21, threw for 1,332 y a rd s wi t h a 49 pe rc e nt completion percentage as a freshman in Columbia, with just four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. The Tigers finished that 2015 season 5-7. There were undoubtedly skeptics when it came to Lock’s potential and future at Missouri entering that offseason, as there are with Franks at Florida.
Ye t when c o a c h Ba r r y Odom arrived the following season, Lock looked like a future NFL quarterback in the making, despite the 4-8 record. Odom’s presence — a hiring former Auburn coach Gene Chizik called “a des- peration move” — has been credited with helping Lock realize his potential.
Which raises the question of why so many have written Franks off after just one season, especially considering the turnarounds many quarterbacks make following a year of experience and a change in coaches.
It was something Lock experienced as a freshman.
“He’s definitely walked into something that I’ve gone through myself,” Lock said of Franks. “He’s definitely a tough soul, he’s a good quarterback and he’s going to get through it. But I think having a new coach can freshen up your mind, get you back in the groove of maybe being your old self. He was definitely a baller in high school to be able to get to Florida, so he knows how to play football. He knows how to be a great quarterback. He did some great things in his freshman year.”
Lock had one caveat about wishing Franks success in the future.
“He’ll be a good quarterback,” Lock said, “but I’m just hoping he doesn’t hit his stride when he plays Mis- souri this year.”
And Lock understands the mental and physical curve quarterbacks go through upon arriving at the collegiate level, saying he was much quieter and reserved in his first year at Missouri. Like Franks, Lock thought his athleticism would translate from high school and allow him to continue dominating the opposition.
“I think the whole thing was, ‘How in the world and why in the world do guys move this fast at that weight and that size?’ because that shouldn’t be fair. I thought I could out-athlete people in my freshman year, because t hat ’s what I di d i n hi g h school,” Lock said. “Then when you go and play Florida with (Vernon) Hargreaves, (Quincy) Wilson and ( Jalen) Tabor, it becomes a different story.”
Anyone searching for more evidence as to how far Lock has come simply should ask Odom about his senior leader coming back.
“From the time our bowl game was over to now, his football IQ i s better than maybe the jump he made from his freshman year to now,” Odom said of Lock. “He’s as talented as any quarterback in the country.”