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Auburn Football: ‘Last Chance U’ star John Franklin III to transfer

By Connor Muldowney

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: John Franklin III #5 of the Auburn Tigers scrambles with the ball against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 02: John Franklin III #5 of the Auburn Tigers scrambles with the ball against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 2, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Auburn football is losing a key contributor in former ‘Last Chance U’ star John Franklin III, the school announced Tuesday.

Shortly after stating that transferring wasn’t an option, senior receiver/quarterback John Franklin III, a former ‘Last Chance U’ star, is leaving Auburn football, per reports.

According to a statement by Gus Malzahn via AL.com, Franklin III expressed interest in playing closer to home to finish off his college career.

"“John Franklin came to me expressing his desire for the chance to play more and get closer to home,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement confirming the news. “He has made the decision to play elsewhere this season as a graduate transfer. John has been an outstanding young man during his time here and leaves Auburn with a degree. We wish John nothing but the best and thank him for his time at Auburn.”"

Franklin III has had an interesting career to this point. In fact, he started off as a dual-threat commit at Florida State before transferring to East Mississippi C.C. and starring on the Netflix series ‘Last Chance U.’

The athletic gunslinger broke out at EMCC despite not completely taking over as the full-time starting quarterback and earned a scholarship to Auburn. He accepted and wanted to play quarterback originally, but Sean White beat him out for the job.

At Auburn, he completed 14-of-26 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 46 times for 430 yards and looked to be a hybrid back/receiver for the 2017 season.

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Although he claims he wants to finish his career closer to home, the fact that he’s transferring makes it seem like he wanted to play quarterback. The Tigers would have used him extensively as an offensive weapon in 2017 with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback.

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