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June 7, 2009 http://vmedia.rivals.com/...sFontColor=000000&sLink= WIDTH=620 HEIGHT=60 SALIGN=lt QUALITY=best SCALE=noborder wmode=transparent ID=rvflash NAME=rvflash BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF allowscriptaccess=always TYPE=application/x-shockwave-flash PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash>
While most of the buzz surrounding the Longhorns' first summer camp of the year was focused on the overwhelming majority of the
Horns' 19 commitments that were able to attend, there were some top uncommitted prospects that also made their way to Austin to showcase their
talents.
Franklin, who was in Austin for the Texas State Track and Field Championships as an alternate for Marshall's track team, stuck around on Sunday to take part in UT's one-day camp, and he apparently made a strong impression. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound talent worked with Texas assistant coach Will Muschamp during the camp and spoke with Muschamp after the event, and Franklin is hoping he did enough to see a scholarship offer come his way in the near future. "I talked with the coaches after the camp. Coach Muschamp told me when we finished that he wanted to offer but he was going to sit down and talk to coach (Mack) Brown and they'd get back to me in a couple days to a week," Franklin said. As for the camp experience, Franklin listed a highlight as working out with the Texas coaches and getting to know some of the Horns' current commitments. "Basically, I was just doing all the drills. Getting coach Muschamp to go through the drills with us, that was pretty neat," said Franklin. "It was nice to meet them (the other prospects). I felt comfortable with them. I had been hearing about them and I finally got to meet them so that was nice." Franklin, whose 200 pounds is down from his playing weight of about 215 due to track season, is currently holding offers from the likes of Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Nebraska, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Should Texas join the fold, Franklin said it would give him something to think about, but he'd continue to weigh his options. "I want to visit some other places, get to know some other colleges also. I don't want to rush anything. I'm just now really getting in touch with Texas," Franklin said. A player that really opened eyes this spring after missing all of last season due to a knee injury, Franklin listed academics, an opportunity to play early and general comfort level as three factors that will play a key role in his eventual decision. About Texas, Franklin said, "I just know that they always have a good football program." A three-star prospect, Franklin ranks No. 59 on the most recent Lone Star Recruiting list. |
0 Kudo
Aaron Franklin
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Posts: 410 06/09/09 09:34:25 |
Franklin Impresses Texas Coaches
By Bobby Bragg Co-Publisher Posted Jun 8, 2009 Aaron Franklin entered the spring as the most underrated 2010 prospect in the state due to an ACL injury that kept him out of the entire 2008 season. The 6-1, 205-pounder went from a question mark to more than a dozen offers. On Sunday, he worked out at the Texas mini-camp and may have earned a scholarship offer. The Texas Longhorns held their first mini-camp on Sunday and as expected, some of the top uncommitted 2010 prospects in the state were on hand including Marshall High linebacker Aaron Franklin. Franklin, currently 6-1, and 205 pounds, was named the 12-4A Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2007 after a season of flying to the football and highlight reel strikes. In the spring he was burning up the track at 205 pounds running 22.0 in the 200-meters before rupturing his ACL and MCL in the closing days of spring football practice. The East Texas rising senior to be missed the entire 2008 season leaving him a question mark with college coaches. As well as missing his junior season, he also missed the opportunity to attend various college camps last summer. Franklin returned to the field and the track in the spring and could be seen making big hits and chasing the ball from sideline to sideline on a daily basis despite not looking 100% still. As the latest Marshall product showed he was back in the flow, the offers began pouring in for the AP honors student. By mid-May, Franklin had offers in hand from Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas State, TCU, Tennessee, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Nebraska among others with heavy interest from LSU. While the offers were certainly impressive, Franklin didn't receive an offer from his childhood favorite, the Texas Longhorns. While Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp stopped by to take a look in May, Franklin didn't have any plans to attend the Texas camp until late last week. "I came down for the track meet, but Coach Muschamp talked to my coach and asked if I'd come to the camp since I was down there. I didn't think I was coming to get offered, but I guess it might have turned out that way. There is nothing official yet," said Franklin. The speedy linebacker spent much of the day working out under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and with Texas commitments Tevin Jackson and Aaron Benson. "I went real good. We did drills like speed drills, change of direction, so they could see how your hips are and things like that. I spent a lot of time with Coach Muschamp. He is a good coach and knows what he is talking about," the Marshall linebacker commented. Franklin is going to talk with the Texas coaches later in the week to determine if he is going to receive the Texas scholarship offer. At this point, Franklin does not have any future summer camp plans after a dizzying spring of junior days, spring ball, and track season. Franklin runs the 200m, and is part of the 400m and 800m relay teams at Marshall. Franklin ran a very impressive 21.78 in the 200 meters this season and has shown that his speed has returned after the knee surgery. If Texas does offer this week, Texas will join Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, and TCU as his favorites. He has unofficially visited each of those schools and plans to make a commitment at the end of summer or just before his senior |
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Franklin offered by texas and North Carolina.
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It wasn't that long ago that Marshall, Texas three-star linebacker Aaron Franklin had trouble finding his way up to
Norman but last weekend he headed up to Oklahoma's campus with his mother as well as both of his grandmothers. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound prospect made his
second trip to Norman in the last few months and came away with strong reviews of his day on campus.
"It went good when I went up there, it went great," Franklin said. "I got there Friday morning about 7:20 and went out to eat some breakfast and then got to campus around nine and left about five that evening." Franklin's entourage was met by an equally large Sooner party of coaches in Josh Heupel, Brent Venables, and David White. The group showed his family around campus, and while his mother had been before she gave the trip strong reviews just as his grandmothers did. "My mom had been up there before but my grandmas had not," he said. "They enjoyed it, they liked everything they said that they wouldn't mind me going there. They were pretty much comfortable with it. "My mom, she got to see a little more of the campus. During the spring game there was a lot going on and she got to see a lot more of the campus this time and how life is." Franklin admits that during nearly 12 hours on campus even he had a chance to see some things that he missed during his initial trip to Norman. "That morning I talked to coach Bob Stoops before he left and I got to visit with him. After that and we started a tour around the campus. We started at the student union and went to see where a few classes were at and saw the apartments and dorms are around campus," he said. "From there I went to go watch the team workout and they went to go lift weights and then I went to see the academics and after that I looked a little highlight film of their defense." Franklin, who spent much of the last year rehabilitating from a knee injury that cut his junior season short, had a chance to spend time with a player familiar with the situation both currently and formerly, Ryan Reynolds. He also spoke with several other Sooner linebackers and even strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. "I got a chance to talk to coach Schmidt, as well as Travis Lewis and Ryan Reynolds. I saw them in the training room. (Reynolds) was getting iced while rehabbing his knee," he said. "I also met Keenan Clayton and Gerald McCoy. I even got to talk to a couple of the incoming freshman but I can't remember their names." So what was the message from the players? "They basically told me what they do and how hard they work, if you go there you have to go all the time and work hard to keep the tradition of winning," he said. "You come here and you are going to win is what they told me." Franklin says he now simply wants to take some time to mull over his decision but he already has a final three. The talented defender says it could within the next few weeks that he comes to his final selection. "Right now I'm just going to think about everything and maybe wait a little bit, I'm going to do it before football season. I want to go into my senior year not stressed out. I want to be able to focus on our team, and know that I have a school I can go to," Franklin said. "Right now it's probably Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas |
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