Feleipe Franks shared in Florida's Orange Bowl victory in Miami last month. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
Goodbye to Feleipe Franks and a Memorable Gators Career
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The final verdict evolved similar to his career with the Gators. Slow developing, but fruitful in the end.
On Dec. 1, quarterback Feleipe Franks posted on his Instagram account that he planned "on exploring my options of entering the NFL Draft or playing my final year elsewhere." Seven weeks later, Franks announced Monday that he has transferred to Arkansas, this time needing only two words – "new beginnings" – and a photo of him in a No. 13 Razorbacks uniform.
Since making his decision to leave Florida public, Franks rarely drifted far from the Gators. He made the trip to Miami for the Orange Bowl and shared in the postgame celebration after their victory over Virginia. Speculation where Franks would land spread from coast to coast, everywhere from Washington State to play for Mike Leach, to Kansas to play for Les Miles, perhaps close to home at UCF, or after Leach went to Mississippi State, maybe to Dan Mullen's old stomping grounds. The long-and-winding trip concluded when he decided on Arkansas to play for first-year head coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.
He made the announcement a day after his official visit to Fayetteville.
"Just how genuine everybody is," Franks said told HawgSports.com. "I think that's something that's really good and something you don't get much of nowadays, but that was the best part."
Franks' departure closes the book on a memorable UF career. If you pay close attention to the Gators, it's likely Franks left an indelible impression.
A single one stands above the rest for me.
It happened during the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 15, as a haze settled over Gainesville Regional Airport. An injured Franks maneuvered gingerly with the help of others to make it from the back seat of a golf cart and into a waiting car.
A few hours earlier at Kentucky, Franks had suffered a fractured ankle, his season over by the end of the third game. Franks was in good spirits and on crutches after Florida's comeback victory behind seldom-used backup quarterback Kyle Trask, able to join his teammates for the return flight home.
When the Gators landed and started to board buses headed toward campus, Franks hobbled onto the back of that golf cart to catch a different ride, knowing the road ahead included surgery and a long rehab. In the grassy parking lot adjacent to the airport runway, I cranked my car and turned on the headlights.
Coincidentally, they happened to shine right on Franks as he shuffled into the waiting car.
Considering the events that unfolded at Kroger Field in Lexington hours prior, it was the first time to my recollection that I pondered if we had seen the last of the polarizing Franks at quarterback for the Gators. Eleven weeks later, that answer arrived when Franks announced he planned to move on for his final season of eligibility.
Franks' time at Florida was many things, but do not include boring among them. Not since Doug Johnson in the late 1990s has a UF quarterback solicited such hot-and-cold reaction from fans. Franks made a decision that gives him an opportunity to resurrect his career with a Razorbacks program in need of immediate help at quarterback.
He joins Arkansas as a graduate transfer with experience as an SEC starter and the desire to showcase his considerable physical gifts and elevate his status in the eyes of professional scouts. It worked a few years ago for both Jacoby Brissett (N.C. State) and Jeff Driskel (Louisiana Tech), who continue to earn NFL paychecks.
The final line on Franks with the Gators reads like this: 27 games, 4,593 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. In addition, he rushed for 438 yards and eight touchdowns.
Of course, the numbers don't begin to tell the complete story.
A five-star recruit out of Wakulla High in the small Panhandle town of Crawfordville, about 30 minutes south of Tallahassee, Franks was forced to exit his comfort zone and grow up in front of our eyes playing the game's most high-profile position at a school that has produced three Heisman-winning quarterbacks.
Yes, there were growing pains.
He stumbled along the way, none more than as a redshirt freshman in 2017 when he looked lost at times trying to direct the offense. He could be defensive with the media and sensitive to criticism, but to his credit, Franks is a natural competitor and as time passed, matured and began to find success.
Always a popular teammate and coachable, Franks found his groove once Mullen took over the program in 2018 and led UF to a 10-3 record and No. 7 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. He was named Offensive MVP in Florida's victory over Michigan in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and appeared primed for a big season prior to his season-ending injury.
Gators quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask embrace prior to Florida's win over FSU. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Shortly after getting hurt, Franks hinted that returning to UF for his fifth-year senior season might not be in the cards during a TV interview. By that time, Trask had proven a more-than-capable replacement with redshirt freshman Emory Jones serving as a change-of-pace threat to spark the run game.
Questionable for spring camp due to his injury, Franks faced the possibility of another quarterback battle with Trask – he had held his ground at the position for two years – and no guarantee he would be able to regain his job once healthy.
Franks exits with nothing to hang his head about.
With his departure, the Gators enter 2020 with the Trask-Jones combination intact. Trask led Florida to an 11-2 record and No. 6 final ranking in the AP Top 25, throwing for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He completed 66.9 percent of his passes. Franks' best season was in 2018 when he threw for 2,457 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions and completed 58.4 percent of his passes.
In perhaps his most memorable performance for the Gators, Franks shushed the crowd multiple times in a 35-31 comeback home win against South Carolina in 2018, a week after he was replaced in a home loss to Missouri that included a cascade of boos. Trask took over and temporarily sparked the offense in Florida's 38-17 loss, prompting speculation he might replace Franks.
It turned out to be a moot point. Trask broke his foot a few days later in practice and Franks tightened his grip on the job by leading the Gators to four consecutive wins to close the season. A year later, Trask has flourished as Florida's starter and Franks is moving on in search of new beginnings.
In Franks' final appearance at the Swamp for the Florida State game, he greeted teammates as they entered the locker room following Gator Walk. One-by-one, he offered handshakes and hugs.
Turns out, they were goodbye hugs. The next day he announced he was leaving. It took a while for Franks to settle on a final destination, but on Monday, he let everyone know where he is headed.
