Feleipe Franks named starter for Florida Gators season opener vs. Michigan

During media availability on Wednesday, Florida coach Jim McElwain named the starting quarterback for their 2017 season opener against Michigan.

In a bit of surprising news, the man McElwain is turning to is Feleipe Franks.

With Luke Del Rio and Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire on the roster, it was a wonder if Franks had a shot. Evidently, after camp and meeting with his QBs, McElwain decided to go with the youngster for Saturday.

It seems as though the coaching staff is ready to roll with him. Especially so if this quote is any indication:

Franks may very well be the most talented QB on the roster. Coming into college, Franks was a U.S. Army All-American. He was ranked fifth among all pro-style QBs in the class of 2016 behind Shea Patterson, Jacob Eason, K.J. Costello and Malik Henry. The Crawfordville, Florida native was a four-star recruit and ranked 10th in the Sunshine State.

The Michigan defense will be a tough test for Franks out of the gate. The unit did have a large exodus from the rather monstrous 2016 season. No longer are the likes of Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley, Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers around. Or Ben Gedeon and Delano Hill. But, Ryan Glasgow and Rashan Gary, 2016’s top recruit in the country, are still there to wreak havoc. Don Brown is no joke as a defensive coordinator, either.

Needless to say, Franks will face pressure out of the gate. But McElwain and his staff are confident in the young signal caller for a reason. We’ll see how this move plays itself out in the future. But for now, congratulations to the kid on earning the starting job.