I'm sure folks around DFW remember Chase Daniel.
Well, now there's another dual threat quarterback from the Metroplex who will likely be headed to Columbia, Mo., to try to follow in the former Southlake Carroll great's footsteps in Gary Pinkel's offense that helped turn Daniel into a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Lake Dallas gunslinger James Franklin has given his verbal commitment to Missouri after being spurned by many big schools, who wanted him to play receiver and not quarterback.
Franklin passed up offers from North Texas and Houston to secure his future in the Big 12, and like Daniel, Franklin does more than just throw the ball -- though he can chuck it 74 yards in the air.
Franklin, who will look to graduate in January so he can get into Missouri's spring football program next year, does it all.
Don't believe me? The proof is in the stats.
Last season, in his first as a full-time quarterback, the junior threw for 2,464 yards and 23 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,151 yards and 18 more scores. As a sophomore, he combined for nine touchdowns (4 rushing, 3 passing, 2 receiving) as Lake Dallas' starting tight end/Wildcat formation quarterback. Just watch the highlights, it's easy to see the kid can do it all.
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And as good as Franklin is on the field, he's even better off of it. He's a smart kid, who wants to major in engineering, something only one other football player at Missouri has done in recent years (no, it wasn't Daniel). He's the son of a preacher/motivational speaker, who played football at Oklahoma back in the day, and a great mother -- both of which have done missionary work throughout James' life.
One thing Franklin has that Daniel didn't is size. At 6 foot 2, 218 pounds, Franklin has two inches on Daniel and will outweigh him once he gets his already muscular frame into a college weight program.
From the Denton Record-Chronicle: “Our stories are kind of similar,” Franklin said of Daniel. “And a lot of people didn’t recruit him as a QB either. Seeing him do that made me realize that I can play quarterback and prove some of these schools that wanted me as a receiver wrong.”
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He's leaning toward Memphis.
