Darrian Franklin commits to Oregon: Ducks get four-star LB
Oregon picked up a commitment from four-star linebacker Darrian Franklin on Saturday.
The Oregon Ducks conjured up some late-night recruiting magic Saturday as 2016 four-star outside linebacker Darrian Franklin (Downey, CA. Downey) committed to the program.
https://twitter.com/DarrianFranklin/status/612465561738481665
Downing is the No. 287 player in the class of 2016, the No. 22 outside linebacker, and the No. 40 player in the state of California per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
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The Ducks offered Franklin on March 11 but prior to that he was high on the radar of the USC Trojans. In 2014, they extended an offer to him on April 5 and the following day, he took an unofficial visit to Los Angeles. The 247Sports Crystal Ball predicted that he would be a Trojan, with 71 % of the experts picking him to wear the Cardinal and Gold. However, Franklin had other ideas.
Currently, Oregon’s 2016 recruiting class has 10 commitments, including five four-star commitments, ranking them No. 22 in the country and No. 4 in the Pac-12 per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
In watching his film, I noticed that he was a very solid tackler. He used all of his 6-foot-1, 210 pound frame to track the ball carrier, and used both of his hands to wrap up and make the tackle. He did not go for the highlight-reel hit, but rather focused on making the sure tackle.
Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich has the early makings of a top-20 class that should help them compete with the likes of USC, UCLA, Stanford and the rest of the teams in the conference.