VIDEO: How Blake Franks 'came to his senses' and picked South Carolina
Greenville (S.C.) class of 2024 three-star IOL Blake Franks announced his commitment to South Carolina on Friday evening as the Gamecocks completed a come-from-behind recruiting victory over Clemson to land the in-state target.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Franks actually grew up a Clemson fan and seemed to wrestle with the idea of turning against his childhood favorite — and likely favorite of many in his upstate area — to pick South Carolina.
“I feel like my mind was made up a long time ago,” Franks said Friday. “But I was trying to push it off because you know I grew up a Clemson fan but eventually I just came to my senses and was like I can’t really think of myself going anywhere else and feeling truly comfortable.”
In the video below, Franks gives more detail on how his recruitment played out, his feelings for the Carolina staff, and what’s next.
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Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Ole Miss, and Penn State are also among Franks’ many scholarship offers.
Franks is the No. 36 IOL in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Additionally, he checks in as the No. 7 player in South Carolina and the No. 521 overall prospect in his class.
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Offensive line recruiting at South Carolina has always been a team effort under Shane Beamer with Lonnie Teasley, Greg Adkins, and Sam Serbay all involved in the process.
“It’s definitely a group effort,” Franks said. “A lot of times they’re just texting me back and forth. If it’s not one person texting me, it’s two people, if it’s not two, it’s probably four people texting me. They’re all just in it together as a team, recruiting-wise.”
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With the addition of Franks, the Gamecocks have now landed three of their top 2024 in-state targets including Franks’ teammate, four-star wide receiver Mazeo Bennett, and Dorchester (S.C.) Woodland four-star offensive tackle Kam Pringle.
South Carolina is also considered the favorite for Dillon (S.C.) four-star offensive tackle Josiah Thompson, who will announce on April 14, and Florence (S.C.) West Florence four-star safety Kelvin Hunter.
