New Miami Hurricanes’ offensive line coach Garin Justice was just hired over the weekend, but he has already hit the recruiting trail running this week. One of Justice’s goals has been to get a head start on building relationships for the 2021 class with that cycle set to begin in less than a month, and one of his top priorities is Wayne County (GA) 4-star OL Weston Franklin.
“I found out yesterday that they hired a new O-Line coach. I heard from coach Justice, he texted me and wanted to introduce himself to me,” Franklin said. “We’re building a connection and a relationship. It’s a good feeling to know I’m that wanted by a big-time program like that.”
While Franklin played all over the line and was a versatile prospect as a junior last season at IMG Academy (FL), family issues caused him to return home to Wayne County for his upcoming senior season. Although Justice has not specified to Franklin where he’s recruiting him on the line, the talented lineman says most schools see him as an interior prospect.
“I played basically every position on the O-Line last year, I was the swingman as we would call it,” Franklin said. “If someone got injured, I’d move around, whatever we needed for that week or that game, that’s where I’d play. I had a lot of experience playing on the left side, but during the season I was more needed on the right side, so I definitely got to learn and go against some of the top guys in the country. So, it was a good experience for me in that way.
“I’m a very physical guy, I like to finish. I like getting off the ball quick, being the first one to hit his man off the line of scrimmage. I just kind of play nasty.”
Even before Justice came to the program, UM had spent parts of the past year trying to construct a bond with Franklin, and he was someone that sat high on former OL coach Butch Barry’s board as well after receiving an offer last May.
“It was during spring ball, coach Barry came down and watched me practice at IMG,” Franklin said. “That night, one of my coaches told me to give him a call and that’s when he offered me. I was kind of surprised and happy to get the offer for sure. I hadn’t been messaging with Miami a whole lot, and they just popped up on me with the offer. So I was definitely happy, it was another big-time ACC offer for me.”
What factors about Miami interest Franklin?
“It’s just a great school, great location and everything, they have great coaches,” Franklin said of UM. “They’re in the rebuilding stages of their program, and I’m one of the top guys they want to get in their class.”
While he has yet to see Coral Gables, a UM visit could be on the horizon for Franklin, who has been invited to Miami’s scheduled Junior Day event set for next weekend.
“I definitely do want to take a visit down to Miami soon,” Franklin said. “I’ve actually been trying to plan one for awhile, but it just hasn’t worked out to where I could make it. But I definitely want to get down there as soon as I can, just to see the campus and meet the coaches in person. I’m not sure I can make the Junior Day, but I’m definitely going to try.”
With his talent level and the exposure provided by IMG, Franklin has been a known prospect in recruiting circles for the better part of 2019, and he says the college attention has only increased in the new year.
“I’ve been talking with LSU, South Carolina, West Virginia, Pitt, Michigan, Georgia, NC State, Tennessee, a bunch of different schools,” Franklin said. “I have offers from all of those except Georgia and Tennessee. Since (new OL coach) Matt Luke got hired at Georgia, he’s been messaging me pretty hard, so has Tennessee.”
Being a Georgia native, many would expect the local Bulldogs to have a leg up for Franklin if he got the offer, but he says that’s not the case.
“I’ve always been kind of open about the football process because I realized I was going to be a recruit early on, so I’ve never really been a big fan of any college program,” Franklin said. “I knew I was going to have to make a tough decision and commit to a school, so I wanted to stay open without any biases or in-state ties. I wanted to be able to make the best decision for me, and what fits me as a player and a student athlete.
“I’m just keeping it open right now. I have some picked out in my head, but I’m just kind of working around and seeing which other schools hit me up.”
The 6-4 310 pound prospect has a potential decision date in mind that has special meaning to him, although Franklin also admits it might be coming up too soon for him to feel comfortable pulling the trigger at that time.
“I’ve thought about my birthday on February 5th – that’s just a date I’ve always thought of, it’s both my mom’s and my birthday, so that’s a date I’ve had in my mind,” Franklin said. “But if I’m not ready to make a decision, I’m not going to make it too fast and have a mess going on. When I commit to a school, I want to be 110% committed to that school.”
While he’s still working out a list of his top schools, Franklin has a very clear mindset when it comes to what he is looking for when he’s ready to make his choice.
“I’m definitely looking for an O-Line coach I can bond with, a guy that I like the way he coaches and the way he handles his players on and off the field,” Franklin said. “A program that really fits me, and the academics I want to follow and the majors I pick out in my mind that I might want to major in. And definitely how they treat my family.”
“I found out yesterday that they hired a new O-Line coach. I heard from coach Justice, he texted me and wanted to introduce himself to me,” Franklin said. “We’re building a connection and a relationship. It’s a good feeling to know I’m that wanted by a big-time program like that.”
While Franklin played all over the line and was a versatile prospect as a junior last season at IMG Academy (FL), family issues caused him to return home to Wayne County for his upcoming senior season. Although Justice has not specified to Franklin where he’s recruiting him on the line, the talented lineman says most schools see him as an interior prospect.
“I played basically every position on the O-Line last year, I was the swingman as we would call it,” Franklin said. “If someone got injured, I’d move around, whatever we needed for that week or that game, that’s where I’d play. I had a lot of experience playing on the left side, but during the season I was more needed on the right side, so I definitely got to learn and go against some of the top guys in the country. So, it was a good experience for me in that way.
“I’m a very physical guy, I like to finish. I like getting off the ball quick, being the first one to hit his man off the line of scrimmage. I just kind of play nasty.”
Even before Justice came to the program, UM had spent parts of the past year trying to construct a bond with Franklin, and he was someone that sat high on former OL coach Butch Barry’s board as well after receiving an offer last May.
“It was during spring ball, coach Barry came down and watched me practice at IMG,” Franklin said. “That night, one of my coaches told me to give him a call and that’s when he offered me. I was kind of surprised and happy to get the offer for sure. I hadn’t been messaging with Miami a whole lot, and they just popped up on me with the offer. So I was definitely happy, it was another big-time ACC offer for me.”
What factors about Miami interest Franklin?
“It’s just a great school, great location and everything, they have great coaches,” Franklin said of UM. “They’re in the rebuilding stages of their program, and I’m one of the top guys they want to get in their class.”
While he has yet to see Coral Gables, a UM visit could be on the horizon for Franklin, who has been invited to Miami’s scheduled Junior Day event set for next weekend.
“I definitely do want to take a visit down to Miami soon,” Franklin said. “I’ve actually been trying to plan one for awhile, but it just hasn’t worked out to where I could make it. But I definitely want to get down there as soon as I can, just to see the campus and meet the coaches in person. I’m not sure I can make the Junior Day, but I’m definitely going to try.”
With his talent level and the exposure provided by IMG, Franklin has been a known prospect in recruiting circles for the better part of 2019, and he says the college attention has only increased in the new year.
“I’ve been talking with LSU, South Carolina, West Virginia, Pitt, Michigan, Georgia, NC State, Tennessee, a bunch of different schools,” Franklin said. “I have offers from all of those except Georgia and Tennessee. Since (new OL coach) Matt Luke got hired at Georgia, he’s been messaging me pretty hard, so has Tennessee.”
Being a Georgia native, many would expect the local Bulldogs to have a leg up for Franklin if he got the offer, but he says that’s not the case.
“I’ve always been kind of open about the football process because I realized I was going to be a recruit early on, so I’ve never really been a big fan of any college program,” Franklin said. “I knew I was going to have to make a tough decision and commit to a school, so I wanted to stay open without any biases or in-state ties. I wanted to be able to make the best decision for me, and what fits me as a player and a student athlete.
“I’m just keeping it open right now. I have some picked out in my head, but I’m just kind of working around and seeing which other schools hit me up.”
The 6-4 310 pound prospect has a potential decision date in mind that has special meaning to him, although Franklin also admits it might be coming up too soon for him to feel comfortable pulling the trigger at that time.
“I’ve thought about my birthday on February 5th – that’s just a date I’ve always thought of, it’s both my mom’s and my birthday, so that’s a date I’ve had in my mind,” Franklin said. “But if I’m not ready to make a decision, I’m not going to make it too fast and have a mess going on. When I commit to a school, I want to be 110% committed to that school.”
While he’s still working out a list of his top schools, Franklin has a very clear mindset when it comes to what he is looking for when he’s ready to make his choice.
“I’m definitely looking for an O-Line coach I can bond with, a guy that I like the way he coaches and the way he handles his players on and off the field,” Franklin said. “A program that really fits me, and the academics I want to follow and the majors I pick out in my mind that I might want to major in. And definitely how they treat my family.”
