Redshirt sophomore quarterback John Franklin III announced Friday afternoon that he will be transferring from Florida State.
ATTENTION: It is official that I will be transferring from The Florda State University. I want to… https://t.co/qULMmnW0HJ
— John Franklin III (@jf3_11) May 29, 2015
Franklin broke the news by way of his Twitter and Instagram accounts. He didn’t give a reason for transferring, but it’s likely he feels he’ll have the chance to earn more playing time elsewhere.
With Sean Maguire and J.J. Consentino already on the roster, FSU brought in three more quarterbacks this offseason in freshmen Deondre Francois and De’Andre Johnson as well as Notre Dame transfer and now projected starter Everett Golson.
Franklin graciously thanked head coach Jimbo Fisher and the rest of the coaching staff on his Instagram account:
“ATTENTION: It is official that I will be transferring from The Florida State University.
I want to first and foremost thank Coach Jimbo Fisher for being the first coach to take a chance on me at playing Quarterback out of high school. He saw something in me that many other schools looked over and for that I will forever be greatful. I want to thank all the coaches for taking me under their wing and treating me as one of their own. Want to thank the one and only Nole Nation for supporting me while I was here at FSU. No matter where I end up I will always be a Nole at heart. Lastly, want to thank my teammates for being a family away from home. I’ve built relationships with yall boys that no one will ever be able to understand nor break up. I’m going to miss grinding on the field and all the love we shared together. Some people may not understand why I decided to leave, but this is my life and I’m doing what is best for me to continue reaching my dreams and making them reality. I appreciate all the love and support as I go through this transition and I’m looking forward to see what God has in store for me in the near future. Thank you.”
Franklin never took a snap during his two years at Florida State and there was some speculation that he may switch positions as he was seen doing drills with wide receivers last year. It appears Franklin has his heart set on playing quarterback and other former FSU signal-callers have been successful in finding playing time at other schools like Clint Trickett at West Virginia.
Though Franklin compiled no statistics at FSU, it would be unfair to say that he made no impact for the Seminoles. Over his two years, Franklin was often tasked with emulating mobile quarterbacks for the scout team and giving the starting defense a good look.
Franklin played the role of guys like Deshaun Watson, Nick Marshall, Anthony Boone, Tyler Murphy, Treon Harris, Golson and even Heisman winner Marcus Mariota over his two years at Florida State. Considering FSU went 27-1 during that span, claimed two ACC titles and a national championship, it would be safe to say that Franklin did his job very well.
It doesn’t appear Franklin has any particular destination in mind for next season or the years to come, but for one of FSU’s quietest contributors over the last two years, Seminole fans should wish him the best of luck.
