Florida Football: What to expect from Feleipe Franks in 2019

The fate of Florida football rests on the shoulders of Feleipe Franks as he enters his junior year. What should the Gators expect from him in 2019?

When Dan Mullen came in as the head coach of Florida football, quarterback was going to be a priority from the start. Mullen is known to be a quarterback whisperer, especially for mobile quarterbacks. He has helped grow quarterbacks like Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, and Nick Fitzgerald.

Feleipe Franks is his next project, and it has gone well so far. Franks showed growth, especially in the second half of the season. If Florida wants to continue to achieve their goals, however, they will have to see more from Franks in his second year under Mullen.

One thing you should expect from Franks is growth as a leader. As a redshirt junior, Franks will have experience leading the team. There shouldn’t be a quarterback competition, so the team will buy into him in the locker room for the entire season. That seems like a small thing, but it is very helpful when it comes to a quarterback’s confidence.

Another thing that Franks will have to do is grow as an efficient passer. His number of touchdowns increased from nine to 24, and his interceptions dropped from eight to six. It’s hard to throw less than six interceptions during a whole season, but he could still improve in his volume of passing touchdowns. Hopes are high, however, as he threw for eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his final five games of the season. He also grew as a runner, getting nine touchdowns on the ground.

The biggest thing we need to see from Franks is the ability to take the workload at quarterback. When games get tough against Miami, Georgia, and other teams, they need to be able to rely on the quarterback to make the play that gets them the win.

The Gators will be without Jordan Scarlett at running back, but they will still have Lamical Perine to feature in the backfield. Without Scarlett, it will be on both the other running backs and Franks to make the most of their new reps.

Feleipe Franks has the potential to really grow into a top starter in the SEC with another year under Dan Mullen. Even if he doesn’t reach his full potential, his floor is a quality starter at quarterback that manages the game well and carries the Florida Gators to a potential New Years 6 bowl game.