I don't give a frippity flip who plays QB as long as they get the job done. If it turns out to be Clifford Franklin, then get on witcha bad ass self. But until I see this kid hold up as an every down QB in the SEC, I'm still going to be skeptical of anyone under 175 pounds playing that position. I'm sure he's shitchapantsfast with that JWow factor in the Spring when no one is jacking his jaw.
Here's an evaluation from Trackem' Tigers. I realize this is just a blog but it seems to be a realistic and fair breakdown of the positives and negatives. Although, the 6'2" 200 part made me immediately question the validity of it. However, I've seen Franklin listed at 200 on more than one site. Anywho....
Auburn secured the commitment of John Franklin, III on November 4th, but the number-one JUCO dual-threat quarterback won’t enroll until January, thus missing critical bowl game practices. As a dual-threat guy, could he be the answer for Auburn next season?
The 6′-2″ 200 lb. QB was second string at East Mississippi Community College where he passed for 733 yards with seven touchdowns while rushing for 451 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Lions dominated almost every opponent while averaging 57 points per game and were held under 40 points only one time. Though he is rated the No.1 JUCO dual-threat QB, there are some important bits of info that are typically left off his résumé.
His 17 TDs, while impressive, were not a factor in the Lion’s overall record. Much of his work came when the game was well decided, an important aspect no one has mentioned.
He is coached by former FSU and West Va. QB, Clint Trickett, who had this to say about Franklin: “He’s one of the faster human beings I’ve ever been around. His straight-line speed is, and I hate when people say it, but it’s almost world class… He also has one of the stronger arms I’ve ever been around. The revolutions that come off the ball when he throws are literally insane.â€
That’s impressive to say the least. But let’s take our own look.
I will be referencing Franklin’s 17 minute highlight video from Hudl. Almost every play we see has the offense in a five-wide set with the defense sending at least one linebacker on a blitz. This open formation in combination with the constant blitzes was perfect for Franklin to showcase his running ability. However, this will not happen in the SEC.
Ball security will be a major factor with Franklin. Look no further than the featured image on this post. He has zero ball security or awareness, and there isn’t a run in the highlight that doesn’t show him palming the ball away from his body. The Auburn staff will almost certainly address this habit on day one.
As Trickett pointed out, Franklin is fast, but he is not world class. It is evident in his highlights that he is shifty and has great speed, but he wasn’t the fastest player on the field. When in the open and untouched, he is lightning. When in traffic, or being unable to come out of a cut cleanly, he can be caught.
However, at the 3:15 mark of the video, one can see he has good patience as he waits for lanes to open, and then he follows his blockers. This leads to easy TDs where he is barely touched. He also has a nose for the first-down marker. On more than two occasions, he knows exactly where the sticks are, and he does just enough to get to them. An underrated aspect of his game is that he bounces outside to protect himself, although he will take hits when it’s needed.
His improvisation is very good, although at times he shows a tendency to throw across his body while fading away from the play. This can be seen in plays at the 2:05 and 5:40 mark. He has the arm strength to complete these, but it isn’t something that coaches like to see. On several occasions, he makes some “backyard football†plays where he finds the open man after scrambling. While he does keep his eyes downfield, he will not get those open looks in the SEC.
Only on one play do I see him make a checkdown to a second receiver. On one of the first plays in the video, you will actually see him miss an open secondary receiver before one of these backyard football plays. The play resulted in a first down, but he missed a touchdown.
Franklin also has a tendency to throw with his hips too open. It prohibits him from really driving the ball with his legs. However, his front foot placement is almost always on target. Slight work on his core, specifically his hips, will greatly improve his accuracy.
Franklin shows great awareness at times by stepping into the pocket and away from edge blitzes, but on some plays, he fades away from the play, relying on speed to run out of the pressure or on arm strength to throw. While this is troubling, it shows that he at least knows what he needs to do in such situations.
Currently, Franklin has only two throws: the out and the deep pass. Both of these he does incredibly well. He struggles on timing routes such as slants. On two different plays, he waited until the receiver was out of the break and still threw it behind the player, although he can hit those windows. He has a picture perfect play at the 4:40 mark where he delivers a great window throw down the field.
This all indicates that Franklin, with some situational awareness work and slight improvement on mechanics, would be a QB with the ability to throw the ball as hard and as far as he needs. A look at a play at the 1:30 mark shows what Franklin is capable of doing. Efficient footwork, proper foot placement, snapping his hips around and keeping them closed gives him the chance to excel by making every throw in the book. There is no denying his situational awareness. He is a playmaker who has a nose for the markers.
Most everyone agrees that Auburn has to get back to the Nick Marshall-esq type of athlete who can run the zone read, be able to drive the ball down the field, and have elusiveness in the pocket in order to give WRs the chance to get open.
Is Franklin that guy?
It’s hard to tell, as this video shows him playing in garbage time against tired defenses blitzing almost 100% of the time. But, he has the arm strength that we saw from Nick Marshall. There is no place on the field where Franklin can’t deliver the ball. All things considered, his mechanics are better than Marshall’s at this point in his development, and the improvements that need to be made are easier to correct.
One thing for sure, if Auburn is to go back to the zone read, Franklin is closer to that type of QB than either Sean White or Jeremy Johnson.
- See more at:
http://trackemtigers.com/what-auburn-can-expect-from-franklin-iii-a-scouting-report/#sthash.jPyk5lSB.dpuf 
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