Franks discussion: Florida transfer one to beat for job

Fourth in a series previewing positions for the University of Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas has fallen behind its football brethren in the SEC in recent seasons.

Nowhere is that more apparent than at quarterback, which is often the face of the program.

In the Razorbacks' past 24 games, eight different quarterbacks started, with only one -- Connor Noland (1-0) -- having a winning record. Arkansas quarterbacks combined to throw more interceptions than touchdown passes in both 2018 (18-17) and 2019 (15-14).

New Coach Sam Pittman has cranked the engine on the long haul back to respectability for the Razorbacks, and a key piece has emerged -- the mobile quarterback.

Feleipe Franks and KJ Jefferson have been deemed the top two signal callers early in camp for Arkansas, and they both pack potent legs to go along with big arms.

Their presence should open up new dimensions for the 2020 Arkansas offense coordinated by Kendal Briles, who prefers spread and up-tempo approaches to ball movement.

Franks threw four touchdown passes -- Treylon Burks and Mike Woods caught one each, and Hudson Henry two -- in Friday's first scrimmage of camp. Jefferson connected on one scoring pass to senior slot man De'Vion Warren.

Instead of talking up their passing exploits in Friday night's video conference, Pittman played up the big picture and their dual-threat capacities.

"I thought they executed the offense, both of them," Pittman said. "Feleipe, it was probably his most accurate day. KJ did a little bit more with his feet, as well as Feleipe, but KJ did a little bit more on the ground.

"I thought both of them played well. Certainly we missed a few throws that we have to make in the future because every down is so critical. But I thought both of them went in the two-minute drive and went down the field and did a good job ... of orchestrating the offense in both of those situations. We had really struggled earlier in two minutes on offense, and they did a little bit better today."

Franks rushed for 350 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore at Florida in Dan Mullen's first season with the Gators. That's the kind of added dimension Arkansas has not seen in 15 years. Not since Matt Jones ran for 622 yards and six scores as a senior in 2004.

In 2019, Jack Lindsey led the quarterbacks in rushing with 80 yards on seven carries in two games. Incredibly, he ranked third on the team, behind Rakeem Boyd (1,133) and Devwah Whaley (278). Jefferson (30 carries, 58 yards, 2 rushing TDs), John Stephen Jones (11-22) and Ben Hicks (21-10) had positive rushing yardage, while Nick Starkel had minus-16 yards on six carries.

Franks is coming off major ankle surgery from just over 11 months ago, and he's sporting a left knee brace in camp. But at 6-6, 228 pounds, he's got the potential to produce on designed quarterback runs and scramble plays.

He leads a group that includes Jefferson, Jones, Lindsey and true freshman Malik Hornsby in the Razorbacks' quarterback room.

Passing skills, leadership, knowledge of the schemes and adjustments are all critical to advanced play at quarterback, and the Razorbacks think Franks can produce on all those fronts.

"I think he looks great," Woods said of Franks. "He's making throws on the run, he makes his reads real quick. As soon as you come out of the break, the ball is right there. I love the timing. Like I said, he knows audibles at the line and different things to do. He's really experienced and mature, and he knows how to run an offense."

Briles was not able to watch Franks throw in person from January into August, when the NCAA began allowing workouts with footballs.

"The thing I've been impressed with is how he's been able to get the ball out of his hand and is just really consistent with all his throws," Briles said in his last media session two weeks ago. "Not a lot of wobble in the ball. I think he's going to be really, really sharp once we get going ... so excited to see him and the rest of the guys. I've been very pleased with all the quarterbacks, watching them throw because it has been a long time being able to see that."

Burks, a sophomore, played the role of diplomat when asked about Franks and the quarterback position.

"Franks, KJ, Malik, JS [Jones] and my boy Jack, I like all of them," he said. "They all come out to practice and they work hard. They throw a good ball.

"I like that that the quarterback room is actually competing this year. It's not like we'll play one quarterback. We will have multiple, and they're all reliable."

Last season it was pretty clear Hicks and Starkel -- the two veteran transfers -- did not have a lot to talk about as competitors for the starting job, and they never appeared to form a bond.

The current coaching staff expects more unity out of its quarterback room.

Asked on Thursday by the SEC Network's Paul Finebaum when he might name his quarterback starter, Pittman replied with a jab at his former boss, Georgia Coach Kirby Smart, whose Bulldogs open the season at Arkansas on Sept. 26.

"Whenever Kirby Smart shares with us who his starting quarterback will be at Georgia," Pittman said. "We've had a couple guys running in there with the ones. We're only six practices in, so we have a couple of scrimmages to go through and things of that nature. We'll certainly have an idea of who the top two guys are, and we'll figure it out soon."

While Pittman has played it coy in his most recent interviews, it sounds like he's not wanting to tip a hand that might have been played already.

Asked Tuesday when he might name a quarterback starter, he said, "We may already have, but just haven't told nobody."

After chuckling for a bit, he added, "I mean, we've got certain people playing with the ones and certain people playing with the twos. To be honest with you, we haven't switched that, so ... I don't know if I'm going to make a public announcement of who's going to be our quarterback. I might, but our team knows. That's all that I'm really concerned about."

All indications are that quarterback is Franks, whom Briles called the one to beat two weeks ago.

Franks noted he had options to transfer to already established programs, but he felt the Pittman-Briles fit was right for him and that he'd like to help trigger a Razorback renaissance.

"It just takes that one spark, that one turnaround," Franks said early in the summer. "Maybe it's a different coaching staff, a change. I love being the underdog. I think that's what makes me go harder each and every day to just prove more people wrong.

"I think that's a good mentality for this team to have, as well. Just keep proving people wrong. All it takes is a flip of the switch and it will turn around quick."

Briles said he probably would have a good idea who had taken the quarterback reins after a scrimmage or two.

"I think it's going to take a couple of weeks to figure out exactly which guy we feel like can lead us to victories," he said. "You've got to get in the fire. You've got to go in scrimmages, and obviously we're going to protect our quarterbacks, so they're not going to get hit. But we have guys like Feleipe who have game experience, and shoot, really all of them.

"As far as identifying, I don't think there's a set time when you do it. I think it's a feel, a feel with myself and Coach Pittman, and frankly the entire staff. Everybody's got to have a feel for the guy who's going to be touching the ball every single play.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm going to be the person who makes that decision. I want us all to feel good about it. I feel like I'm going to have probably a pretty strong opinion, but hopefully Feleipe will be what we think he is."