'A no-brainer': Noah Franklin talks decision to commit to South Carolina, why he can be a long-term solution at catcher
It’s not uncommon for young athletes to commit to a school rather early. It’s probably happened more times than anyone could count. Some stick to it, others rethink their initial decision and take a step back to reevaluate.
That’s what happened for Noah Franklin. As a sophomore in high school in 2022, he committed to play baseball for Duke. But as time went on, his situation and what he felt he needed both changed. So in February, he reopened his recruitment.
“After the de-commitment, I went into everything with my mind open,” Franklin told GamecockCentral. “I didn’t really say no to any school that came my way. But there was a few I definitely had my eyes set on and that I wanted — South Carolina being one of them.”
Franklin said he heard from roughly 10 to 15 schools interested in his services. But there were “a good five” that he was seriously considering. One of which was South Carolina, his in-state school.
“Right when I received my offer from South Carolina, I took it instantly,” he said. “I think it was one of those things where I kind of knew I wanted to be there.”
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On Wednesday, Franklin made his decision official. He was coming to South Carolina. In his heart, he knew this is what he wanted.
“It was honestly just a no-brainer with that kind of program, playing in the SEC, having access to some of the facilities that they have,” Franklin said.
However, it wasn’t just about playing at a high-caliber program. It was also important to him to stay close to home being from Charleston.
“All the kids that look up to me, that want to see me play, they can all come. It’s only like an hour and a half away from home. So everybody that’s looked up to me and likes watching me play is just able to come and watch,” he said. “And it’s one of those things where being good at baseball and being able to continue to play in front of everybody that’s grown up with me can be in my backyard and come and watch me play.”
While he’s listed as both a catcher and outfielder on many baseball sites, Franklin clarified that he’s primarily behind the plate now. He’ll occasionally see time at first base and designated hitter, but as he pointed out, “I don’t go anywhere, I just catch and hit.”
“I’m big, I’m physical, I’m 6’1, 215 (pounds), pretty mobile. I can get to anything, block balls up, I’ve got a good arm behind the plate,” Franklin said. “But really for me, it’s about stealing pitches, framing pitches. That’s something I pride myself in. Just stealing strikes and helping my pitchers is something I’m pretty good at. … You put all those things together, you’ve got a pretty decent guy behind the plate.”
From South Carolina’s standpoint, the coaches see him as an offensive-first catcher. Franklin, who likes to hit for average, elaborated on what the Gamecocks can expect from him as a hitter.
“I like to be upper three’s, low four’s when it comes to average. But also, I like to hit home runs,” he said. “There’s balls that I hit that are 105 (MPH) exit velo, 400 feet. It’s one of those things where I’m a bigger dude, so when I get a hold of one, I can leave the yard. I’m a gap to gap guy. But really, there’s a lot of power in the bat that I like to take advantage of.”
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Heading into next season, South Carolina will have a sizable hole at catcher. Cole Messina and Dalton Reeves, who split time there this year, are moving on. The Gamecocks will have Ryan Bakes coming back and Max Kaufer joining from the transfer portal. But long-term speaking, there will be a need for someone who can be a staple for three to four years.
That’s how Franklin envisions himself. While he won’t join the program until fall 2025, he believes his maturity and work ethic will give him a chance to play right away.
“I’ve played on varsity as a freshman in high school, I played 30 games in front of a loaded senior staff and was able to step in and play. And honestly, growing up, I’ve always hung out with the older kids. I started lifting when I was 12 years old. And so the maturity of preparing for the next level early will really allow me to step up there and be ready,” Franklin said.
“I think a lot of my routines and my cage work and my drill work is hard on purpose so that whenever I do get into those situations they don’t feel necessarily easy but you feel ready for it. With that, I’m one of the hardest working guys in the area, and I feel like I train to where nobody can outwork me. Whenever you do things like that and you look at it that way, you can create a good person, a good human being, a good athlete.”
For now, Franklin’s focus isn’t entirely on that just yet. After all, he still has his senior year at West Ashley High School still to go.
“It’s important that I do everything I can for this team. We haven’t won a state championship since I’ve been here,” he said. “So obviously, my goal is to lift up everybody around me and make them as good as possible while making myself as good as possible and coming together as a team and hopefully winning a state championship.”
