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Feleipe Franks Invited to Nike's The Opening and Elite 11

LSU QB commit Feleipe Franks turned in a dominant performance at the Orlando NFTC this weekend. Check out what the experts had to say.

By Paul Crewe
Student Sports

Over the weekend, LSU QB commitment Feleipe Franks took out some time to compete at the Orlando Nike Opening Regional. Franks dominated the competition, en route to winning the QB MVP award along with securing an invite both to Nike's The Opening and the Elite 11. Franks is the 1st Elite 11 finalist of 2015.

National writers and scouts across the country extended effusive praise for Franks and his development:

Chad Simmons of FoxSports wrote a more detailed scouting report of Franks, which I highly recommend you read. Beyond praising his physical tools, Simmons had plenty to gush about Franks' intangibles:

I have had the chance to see Franks compete live multiple times and I have watched a good bit of tape on him as well, and he has improved over the past six months.

Franks has the intangibles and that really stands out to me. He is a quiet leader, he plays the game under control, he has the ability to buy time in the pocket to extend plays, he is smart with the ball, and he just sees the game at a different speed from others.
Franks is a kid for me that is easy to believe in when it comes to looking ahead and predicting his level of success in the future. He is focused, he is eager to learn, and he is self-driven, so he is on the track to be successful in Baton Rouge.

Gerry Hamilton of ESPN also gushed over Franks in an interview with 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge's Culotta and the Prince Tuesday morning. Franks himself was also interviewed on Monday.

It's quite easy to see why the staff coveted Franks as much as they did, perhaps even more than 5-star Louisiana product Shea Patterson. On the hoof, this kid has so much growing to do. He weighed in at 213 pounds, and it looks like he could easily hold another 20 pounds of muscle. He has 10 1/8" hands, bigger than the oft-praised Odell Beckham Jr mitts.

There's still a lot of work to do here. He's not polished. His mechanics need work, but I'm encouraged by the progress he's already made at this point. His throwing motion is already looking tighter, as he gets further and further away from that baseball windup. I've seen some rave about his arm strength, but based on tape and what Simmons had to say, I don't think he has that bazooka type of arm. It's good, but not great. That said, not only will he get bigger and stronger, some mechanical tinkering should help his overall velocity. He does throw a pretty deep ball, which numerous folks have written about.

It won't take Franks many more performances like this one to ratchet up the rankings and earn that 5th star. He seems hungry to compete and prove his talents. He's not an in your face personality, but he carries himself with a ton of inner confidence. Will Franks get that 5th star? Only time will tell, but LSU has a good one here.

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