There has been a lot of discussion this year about Louisiana Tech's Offensive Coordinator, Tony Franklin joining VT's staff next year. As most of you guys know, he played with Foster at Murray State. Following MSU, here is a rough outline of Franklins career moves:
Until 1997: HS coach in Kentucky
1997-2003: University of Kentucky, started at RB's coach, replaced Leach as OC (under Hal Mumme)
2004: General Manager and coach of Kentucky Arena Football team
2007: Troy O.C.
2008: Auburn O.C. for 1/2 season
2009: Middle Tenn OC
2010-12: La Tech OC
Franklin is also the creator of The Tony Franklin System, a package for HS teams where he and his staff come to your school for $3K and install his offensive system, in three days, complete with QB arm bands. At one point, this System netted Franklin $170,000 a year. At Auburn, Franklin had to sell the system to a partner because of SEC rules. He is still involved today.
Tuberville also fired Franklin 6 games into the 2007 season at Auburn. They were 4-2. They finished 5-7.
Maybe most troubling, though, was that Franklin wrote "Fourth and a Life to Go," a tell all book about the Mumme regime at UK (that landed UK in NCAA trouble). It is said that Franklin was blacklisted from college football during his Arena league days, roughly 5 years between college football jobs.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3501... and http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/10824890.
I know LT's offense looks great and Franklins experience with Foster/Murray State actually will get him noticed enough to be considered. But there is more to this story, a lot more. A better offense? Sure, but at what price?
Comments
Frank's tendencies
are to avoid even the appearance of controversy like the plague....I can't imagine him agreeing to bring in someone like that.
re: the Auburn firing, what was the reason? I have some memory of it happening, but I don't remember the reason.
I think he was fired because his spread offense "wasn't working" at Auburn. I remember all the ESPN college football heads saying Tuberville didn't give it enough time to become successful (inappropriate offensive talent for the scheme). A lot of people were very critical of Tommy not letting the system develop and bring in the right recruits to run the spread.
He was brought in to change the Auburn system and start running the spread there but Tuberville gave up on it after half a season. And Tuberville didn't stick around long after that 5-7 season if I recall correctly?
I'd rather have an OC that is run first from the spread and teaches that scheme. Clemson plucked Morris after one year in Tulsa (and a HS career), so the "guy" is out there.
Oh, if we could only get a Harbaugh clone for the offense...
Harbaugh
Absolutely!!!
Couple of expansion on his past and run mentality
I'm writing up an article on him and kind of feel like the starter of the Tony Franklin bandwagon.
First off before he wrote the book he was already quoted as talking about the cheating that was going on. He was a whistleblower about the recruiting practices that were going on giving money to kids. I don't really regard that as a big downfall to his character and it is something that happened a decade ago. For the Auburn debacle they didnt have a spread roster or buy in which lead to failure, that wasn't a good team regardless.
As far as his run vs. pass look up the stats and you can see he runs slightly more than he passes over the last few years and including this year. His offense is top 15 in both the run and pass this year with more rushes than pass attempts.
Also the Tony Franklin System I feel like is a plus with him having connections to a ton of programs across the south.
I'm writing a story on it with more info but I think its a good fit since there are no Harbaugh's out there easily identifiable and we are in a region with talent build for the spread.
Have you found any evidence to the ...
...blacklisting that was said to keep him out of college football for four years?
it's a hard thing to verify, but it would be damning in the eyes of the VT system. Beamer has too much invested, not only in his own program but as a leader in the the college football coaches realm to sign up a potential rogue OC. Troy, Middle Tennessee, La Tech...they can afford to take chances.
Maybe someone will take a chance on Franklin this year at a major program, but I seriously doubt it will be VT if there is reality in this "blacklisting" label.
Have you ever heard of google or Auburn?
Really you could google search "Tony Franklin football" and find out a lot about him. Also you are forgetting Auburn that took chance on him after him being a "rogue OC" that was the only coach not brazenly cheating on his staff according to the NCAA. You could google through to see the NCAA report but here's a couple short story links.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/10824890
"Tony Franklin didn't have to write a book detailing his coaching stay at Kentucky, during which major violations occurred. He didn't have to sue Kentucky to clear his name when everyone but him, it seemed, was guilty."
Franklin- ""There's a code regardless of what profession you're in," he said. "It takes courage to break codes, do the right thing. You have to be willing to pay the price."
http://espn.go.com/page2/tvlistings/show87transcript.html
Franklin: "If you go back and you look at the $1,400 money order, how stupid, if you’re going to be a guy who is going to cheat, to sit and yell at someone across a hall to come to you, give them $1,400 bucks and say, go send this to Tim Thompson at Melrose. I mean, that’s — to me, that’s publicly flaunting the cheating."
How would it be "damning in the eyes of the VT system" to hire a coach that over 10 years ago reported blatant cheating that was going on with staff he was on? Honestly there's a lot to look at if you just google him of course if you feel inclined to believe there is something secretly sinister you are free to your beliefs but i tend to believe articles.