Connect with us

Latest News

Franks may be welcoming challenge of turning things around quick for Hogs

Feleipe Franks won 10 games at Florida as the starter in 2018 after going through a 4-7 season the year before and he thinks it can turn around at Arkansas just as quick.

Published

on

If you want a clearer picture of the difference between this Arkansas football staff and the last one all you really have to do is look at the graduate transfer quarterback each landed.

Kendal Briles and Sam Pittman landed a starter from an SEC team that has had success in the league and actually sounds enthusiastic about landing in Fayetteville.

The guys before brought in their previous quarterback who had never really won that much against Group of 5 teams and never over the big boys. We’re not even going to discuss letting a quarterback get away who then came back to town and embarrassed them with a Conference USA supporting cast.

Feleipe Franks sounded Friday like he’s glad to be in Fayetteville. The last quarterback sounded bored.

And it was clear pretty quick Briles’ track record at Baylor, Houston and Florida Atlantic got Franks’ attention.

“I’ve seen it work before,” Franks said of the Briles offense. “It’s been proven to work before.”

The Razorbacks’ current chaos is probably worse than things were with the Gators in 2017 when Jim McElwain stepped down as the coach as the team slipped to a 4-7 record and the coach left in the middle of the season.

Coming off a 9-4 record in 2016 and an SEC Championship game appearance that was a complete disaster in Gainesville.

But Franks was a part of how quickly things turned around.

“I’ve seen teams turn around in a year,” he said. “Just the motivation and stuff. We’re on the right track. If we approach it the right way it’ll be a blessing in the end.”

Listening to him Friday he almost seemed attracted to the challenge of turning around a team that has lost the same number of games each of the last two seasons as he won in his full season as the starter at Florida.

“It would have been easy for me to go to a top program where it’s already good, but who am I really helping there?” he said. “When I was at Florida we went 4-7 and the next we year we go and win 10 games and a New Year’s Six bowl.

“It’s about the motivation and we have that on this team. It just takes that one spark to start the turnaround, maybe a different coaching staff, a change.”

That’s what happened with the Gators as Dan Mullen came in, named Franks the starter and they made a drastic improvement.

Franks completed 58.4 percent of his passes in 2018 with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions out of 322 attempts.

“I love being the underdog,” he said. “That’s what makes me go harder each and every day to just prove more and more people wrong. That’s a good mentality for this team … just prove people wrong.

“All it takes is a flip of a switch and it turns around quick.”

Which is exactly what the Hogs’ fans are hoping happens.

 

Advertisement

2024 Razorbacks Football

Thu, Aug 29vs UAPB (Little Rock)W, 70-0
Sat, Sep 7@ Oklahoma StateL, 31-39 2OT
Sat, Sep 14vs UABW, 37-27
Sat, Sep 21@ AuburnW, 24-14
Sat, Sep 28vs Texas A&M (Arl)L, 21-17
Sat, Oct 5vs TennesseeW, 19-14
Sat, Oct 19vs LSUL, 34-10
Sat, Oct 26@ Mississippi StateW, 58-25
Sat, Nov 2vs Ole Miss11:00 AM
ESPN
Sat, Nov 16vs Texas11:00 AM
Sat, Nov 23vs Louisiana TechTBD
ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Nov 30@ MissouriTBD
Advertisement

Advertisement

2024 High School Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (18)8-02521
2.Conway (6)8-02302
3.Greenwood (2)8-02103
4.Little Rock Parkview7-11714
5.Bentonville5-31416
6.Benton7-11265
7.Fayetteville6-21008
8.Pulaski Academy6-2757
9.Rogers5-3459
10.Shiloh Christian6-24010
Others receiving votes: Marion 13, Valley View 9, Joe T Robinson 8, Mountain Home 4, Cabot 3, Elkins 3.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (20)8-01241
2.Conway (6)8-01052
3.Bentonville5-3753
4.Fayetteville6-2455
5.Pulaski Academy6-2354
Others receiving votes: Rogers 5.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (26)8-01301
2.Benton7-11022
3.Shiloh Christian6-2713
4.Marion7-1524
5.Mountain Home7-131
Others receiving votes: Little Rock Catholic 4.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (23)7-11271
2.Joe T Robinson7-1902
3.Valley View (3)8-0803
4.Hot Springs Lakeside7-1484
5.Farmington7-130
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 4, Maumelle 4, Morrilton 3, Greenbrier 2, Harding Academy 1.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (19)8-01161
2.Arkadelphia (5)6-2792
3.Little Rock Mills (1)8-0703
4.Warren6-2404
5.Malvern (1)8-0315
Others receiving votes: Dardanelle 22, Southside Batesville 11, Mena 8, Bauxite 7, DeWitt 4, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
4.Bismarck (15)8-01054
5.Fordyce (4)8-0765
Prescott (3)7-1531t
1.Osceola (2)6-149
3.Mayflower (1)8-036
Others receiving votes: Booneville (1) 31, Rivercrest 19, Mansfield 14, Charleston 4, Rison 3.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (21)8-01211
2.Conway Christian (4)8-01042
3.Des Arc7-1663
4.Bigelow (1)6-2455
5.Murfreesboro6-230
Others receiving votes: Marked Tree 10, Mineral Springs 6, Junction City 5, Cross County 1, Mount Ida 1, Poyen 1
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (25)5-0761
2.Midland (1)7-0502
3.Cedar Ridge7-1253
Others receiving votes: Rector 5.

© COPYRIGHT 2017-24 BY PEARSON BROADCASTING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ESPN ARKANSAS 99.5 IN FAYETTEVILLE, 95.3 IN THE RIVER VALLEY, 96.3 IN HOT SPRINGS, 104.3 IN HARRISON-MOUNTAIN HOME.