Thad Franklin......

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Not taking shots... but here it is... I have even quoted myself for the record...
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Not taking shots... but here it is... I have even quoted myself for the record...
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BTW — I had the best hopes for him but was shocked that one spring when he had the shot to really earn PT and in the Spring Game he kept getting shoe string tackled.

It was an “oh, boy” moment for me.
 
Eh. I don’t see like that at all. I’m sure there’s always going to be people who don’t want to put in the work like Franklin but most guys who transfer aren’t doing so because they’re lazy. It’s because you have a very limited time to play college football and nobody wants to spend three or four years on the bench hoping that one day you’ll finally get to be a starter. Especially at a position like running back where you either have it or you don’t. If you’re not cracking the rotation by year two, you’re likely not going to crack the rotation, period. Better to transfer to a place where you’ll have a better chance to play. Especially in a college football world where upperclassmen who aren’t playing are pushed out by coaches for extra roster space.

As for young people living at home, not sure what that has to do with football but it’s really simple. The cost of living has long ago blown past median income. Some kid making $16-$17 an hour at an entry level job can’t afford to move out. Not when even a ****** apartment is going yo cost $1600 a month for rent. ****, you won’t even get approved by an apartment complex.

There might have been a time where working hard at your job meant you’d get paid better but today it just means your employer will give you more responsibility for the same pay. The two biggest pay increases I’ve gotten since is started working for other people again have been 1) when I took the same position at a different company that offered me a lot more and 2) when I told my boss that I was going to quit. I was immediately offered more money. I don’t blame people for job hopping. It’s literally the best way to increase your salary in today’s world.
It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition regarding working hard to improve vs switching jobs. Both exist. Both are possible. Both can work. Ive done both.

I also have kids who are Gen Z. As a generalization, their generation is lazy and live their lives through a glowing screen. More than that, they are afraid. Afraid of everything. Afraid of growing up. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of leaving home. Not to mention, it’s easier to go to $800 concert festivals and post “look at me photos” on social media when you don’t have to pay for things like rent, food and health insurance.
 
Thad Franklin rushed for 2300 yards as a junior against great competition and set a record in the state title game with 325 yards.

He had the size and the natural running instincts to be a great college back. Ultimately, he was lazy. He needed to trim up and he gained weight instead.

The missing piece when you are watching kids from afar is intangibles. That is the most important thing coaches need to evaluate.

Running for 2,000+ yds in 1 season in SFL doesn't mean what you think it means (Look at the RB's below)

IMO - you look at those numbers and are willing to overlook the red flags.

@DMoney - Here's the last Miami RB's with 2k HS seasons in SFL, Your Comp, and their Red Flags:

Joe Yearby = Gio Bernard - Size & Speed
Henry Parrish = Kevin Smith - Size & Speed
Jaylan Knighton = Dalvin Cook - Size & Too Physical
Thad Franklin = Frank Gore - Speed & Lack of Physicality

It's not about intangibles - it's about identifying what will & won't translate at the next level.
 
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Not hiding, thought the kid was extremely smooth and gifted running the pill at 225+. He flopped and I was wrong. **** happens. Aint the first time and won’t be the last.
Same. I thought he'd be a productive battering ram. I also figured he'd be in better shape by fall camp.

But as aoon as he showed up, I knew he wasn't serious. Body composition was a massive red flag.
 
It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition regarding working hard to improve vs switching jobs. Both exist. Both are possible. Both can work. Ive done both.

I also have kids who are Gen Z. As a generalization, their generation is lazy and live their lives through a glowing screen. More than that, they are afraid. Afraid of everything. Afraid of growing up. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of leaving home. Not to mention, it’s easier to go to $800 concert festivals and post “look at me photos” on social media when you don’t have to pay for things like rent, food and health insurance.
I mean kids are going to act how they were raised to act. I will say that a VAST number of young people are not spending $800 on a concert ticket and even if they were, that’s literally only half a month’s rent so buying one expensive ticket isn’t keeping them from being able to afford housing in a market where most adults struggle to afford.

I’m 45 and I didn’t move out on my own until I was almost 25. (College doesn’t count if your parents are paying your rent) I graduated from technical school at 21. My entry level job as a marine technician paid me $8.50 an hour. That $300 weekly pay check wasn’t going to pay rent even in 2002. It took a few years experience and a couple job changes to finally make enough money to afford a two bedroom with a roommate. The whole point being, if you’re not gaining traction at one spot, moving on to somewhere else isn’t a bad idea.
 
I mean kids are going to act how they were raised to act. I will say that a VAST number of young people are not spending $800 on a concert ticket and even if they were, that’s literally only half a month’s rent so buying one expensive ticket isn’t keeping them from being able to afford housing in a market where most adults struggle to afford.

I’m 45 and I didn’t move out on my own until I was almost 25. (College doesn’t count if your parents are paying your rent) I graduated from technical school at 21. My entry level job as a marine technician paid me $8.50 an hour. That $300 weekly pay check wasn’t going to pay rent even in 2002. It took a few years experience and a couple job changes to finally make enough money to afford a two bedroom with a roommate. The whole point being, if you’re not gaining traction at one spot, moving on to somewhere else isn’t a bad idea.
Do you have kids?
Each one is different.
 
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Eh. I don’t see like that at all. I’m sure there’s always going to be people who don’t want to put in the work like Franklin but most guys who transfer aren’t doing so because they’re lazy. It’s because you have a very limited time to play college football and nobody wants to spend three or four years on the bench hoping that one day you’ll finally get to be a starter. Especially at a position like running back where you either have it or you don’t. If you’re not cracking the rotation by year two, you’re likely not going to crack the rotation, period. Better to transfer to a place where you’ll have a better chance to play. Especially in a college football world where upperclassmen who aren’t playing are pushed out by coaches for extra roster space.

As for young people living at home, not sure what that has to do with football but it’s really simple. The cost of living has long ago blown past median income. Some kid making $16-$17 an hour at an entry level job can’t afford to move out. Not when even a ****** apartment is going yo cost $1600 a month for rent. ****, you won’t even get approved by an apartment complex.

There might have been a time where working hard at your job meant you’d get paid better but today it just means your employer will give you more responsibility for the same pay. The two biggest pay increases I’ve gotten since is started working for other people again have been 1) when I took the same position at a different company that offered me a lot more and 2) when I told my boss that I was going to quit. I was immediately offered more money. I don’t blame people for job hopping. It’s literally the best way to increase your salary in today’s world.
Agree - especially on the latter part of your statements. My oldest daughter has an architecture degree as well as a master's, took a job as an architectural intern in Ft. Myers/Cape Coral back in 2018., while studying and getting the necessary hours to be licensed. When she moved there, rent was $1100 and now it's over $1700 for the same apartment. Her company has been good to her and she's gotten regular raises/bonuses, but she's had to move to be able to afford to live there. If she didn't need to be onsite to be mentored and get her hours, she'd move back home and try to save money. Inflation and cost of living is far outpacing salaries.
 
Running for 2,000+ yds in SFL doesn't mean what you think it means (Look at the RB's below)

IMO - you look at those numbers and are willing to overlook the red flags.

@DMoney - Here's the last Miami RB's with 2k HS seasons in SFL, Your Comp, and their Red Flags:

Joe Yearby = Gio Bernard - Size & Speed
Henry Parrish = Kevin Smith - Size & Speed
Jaylan Knighton = Dalvin Cook - Size & Too Physical
Thad Franklin = Frank Gore - Speed & Lack of Physicality

It's not about intangibles - it's about identifying what will & won't translate at the next level.
Mark Walton ran for 2,700+ yards and 45 Touchdowns


















Run Away GIF
 
Running for 2,000+ yds in SFL doesn't mean what you think it means (Look at the RB's below)

IMO - you look at those numbers and are willing to overlook the red flags.

@DMoney - Here's the last Miami RB's with 2k HS seasons in SFL, Your Comp, and their Red Flags:

Joe Yearby = Gio Bernard - Size & Speed
Henry Parrish = Kevin Smith - Size & Speed
Jaylan Knighton = Dalvin Cook - Size & Too Physical
Thad Franklin = Frank Gore - Speed & Lack of Physicality
This is why I hate comparisons- never did I say these guys would be anything close to the guys they were comped to. It's a running style comparison, not an impact comparison.

With Yearby, I was saying that Dalvin Cook was the best back at Central since they were sophomores. This was when everyone was hyping Yearby. His size and speed issues were apparent then. He was still a 1K back at the ACC level at solid efficiency, which fit with his projection as a good college player. This is from back in 2013:

I think Yearby is a very good back. Top 11 in a loaded year like this is no disrespect. He is ranked ahead of some blue chip players who can go anywhere in the country.

But I do have concerns about a between-the-tackles back who is 5'9, 179 and lacks breakaway speed. At the next level, defenders are bigger and faster. Yearby won't be breaking a ton of tackles and he won't be running by guys. His vision and feet will carry him a long way, but that limits his upside.

With Parrish, I was talking about him when everyone was focused on Chaney and Rooster. He has outperformed both of those guys, and Kevin Smith recruited him three times (most recently to a Top 10 team) while making the same Kevin Smith comparison. He is another good college back, who is limited as a pro prospect because of size and speed.

Knighton and Franklin are both work ethic flags, Franklin's issues being more severe. Knighton should be rocked up like an Ahmad Bradshaw, but he stayed skinny and thus limited in his role (albeit still productive). Franklin is overweight and everything plays down as a result.
 
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