The visits are over for Greenville High OG Blake Franks. Now, he faces the toughest decision of his young life. Clemson. USC. Who will it be? Months ago, common thought was Franks was a Tiger lock. Not anymore. The Gamecocks have given Franks plenty to think about in comparison to the Tigers.
Clemson had a chance to put their stamp on this recruiting battle Saturday when Franks made another visit for the Tigers’ junior day. They had the chance to end this thing, as they have done with so many top recruits over the years. But they didn’t.
“I thought this would help me figure out if I wanted to go to South Carolina of if I definitely wanted to go to Clemson,” Franks said. “To be honest, this visit answered a lot of my questions, but I think I’m still stuck right now and right now I’m just trying to figure out which school I definitely see myself at compared to the other school. I’ve gotten answers from each place. Clemson or South Carolina, I really don’t know which one is right for me right now, but I definitely want to keep talking to the coaches to see if I can actually make a good decision.”
Franks has learned plenty about the Clemson football program from his visits, and he knows from his conversations with Dabo Swinney and offensive line coach Thomas Austin what they think of him and how he would be deployed. With the Saturday visit, Franks wanted to go deeper into what Clemson football can do for him as a person.
“What I took away from it was what I see myself doing inside at Clemson as an athlete and a student,” Franks said. “Student-wise I definitely feel like they would develop me a lot. P.A.W. Journey is really interesting. I think their presentation was amazing. Also, getting to hear from each player and what made them make the decision to come to Clemson also helped me see a little more Clemson side. It’s a hard decision, no matter what. I haven’t made the decision yet on where I’m going to go to be honest.”
After visiting Clemson, Franks made a Sunday visit to Auburn where the new offensive line coach there offered him while at Ole Miss. That was more of a courtesy visit, however, as the focus remains Clemson and USC. He said he did talk to the Gamecocks’ Executive Director of Character and Player Development Derrick Moore after his visits just to get more questions answered about the program he oversees. He’s also heard from committed prospects to both programs he befriended on his visits.
“Right now, the best I can do is not only evaluate the school but evaluate the people I’m going to be around,” Franks said. “I know a lot of people from Clemson that are committed. I know a lot of people from South Carolina that are also committed. I just need to evaluate both of them to see if the players have the same vibe as me, if I feel like I’ll feel comfortable being around them pretty much 24/7. I’m still hoping I’ll get it done later this month, but if it drags on longer, I guess it drags on longer. It’s all in God’s plan, that’s what I’ve been saying for a while. I don’t really know what’s going to happen now or later.”
Franks had considered February 7th, his mother’s birthday, for a commitment announcement. He may not be able to get it done by then, but he’s definitely hoping to have a decision by the later part of February at the latest.
