Franks caps hectic day with stop in Columbia
SPORTSTALK / July 30, 2022
Friday was a busy but satisfying day for 2024 OT Blake Franks (6-5 310) of Greenville High. The day began with the first official practice of fall camp. Later in the afternoon, Franks picked up an offer from Clemson. And he finished up the day in Columbia attending the recruits cook-out at Williams-Brice Stadium. It was his second summer visit to USC, the previous one coming June 25th for another cook-out.“I got to talk to some players that were very interested in the school, and I got to talk to the coaches again. It was a very interesting process,” Franks said. “I also got to experience what it’s like to have fun at South Carolina, what do they do for fun.”
Franks said he had another great experience with the Gamecocks, including feasting on a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, nachos and fries. Shane Beamer has turned up the wick in recruiting Franks, and he’s noticed.
“Coach Beamer is a coach who is very interactive with his players, which is something new for me to be honest, Franks said. “He’s a lot more interactive than some of the other coaches I’ve seen. They are telling me they want me to play guard, though I play tackle as well. Whenever I go there, they try to make you feel like you’re at home. It’s a very good feeling to be honest. I definitely feel a certain attachment to South Carolina right now.”
Franks was already in a happy mood when he got to USC because he had gotten the call from Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin with an offer. Franks visited Clemson for the spring game and was back for camp in June. He also has a family tie to the school as his grandfather was a professor at Clemson.
“It means a lot to get an offer from a team that I grew up watching for a very long time,” Franks said. “Coach Austin said he likes my versatility because I can play guard and tackle. Now that I’ve got the offer, I don’t know where they stand in my recruiting, but it’s definitely an option that I’m glad to have.”
Clemson wasn’t the only major offer of the week for Franks. Wednesday, he worked out in a camp at Alabama and was offered by head coach Nick Saban.
“Very excited and surprised,” Franks said. “Originally, I went down there just to get better. Knowing that I got down there and did good enough to get an offer was very exciting. Coach Saban and I talked about what it would be like if I came to Alabama as an athlete, and how it works with what I want to major in, and what it would look like if I wanted to go to the NFL in the future, would I need to switch my positions, so I have a bigger possibility of going to the NFL.”
Franks is not taking any more visits this week. He won’t get back on the road until taking in some games this fall. He also made spring visits to USC, Clemson, Georgia, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, Miami and USF. Those have all offered along with North Carolina, Penn State and Ole Miss. His camp stops were at USC, Clemson, Georgia, Coastal, Miami and Alabama.