A local standout offensive lineman with double-digit scholarship offers returned to Clemson earlier this month to compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp.
Greenville (S.C.) High School’s Blake Franks (pictured right) – a 6-foot-5, 310-pound rising junior in the class of 2024 – worked out at the camp on Thursday, June 2.
“It was good,” Franks said to The Clemson Insider regarding his Swinney Camp experience. “Coach (Clemson offensive line coach Thomas Austin) said I did good.”
Franks, who is capable of manning multiple offensive line positions, expounded upon the feedback he received from Austin at the camp.
“He just told me I killed it, I had good footspeed, I guess,” Franks said. “I need to stop oversetting on my one-on-ones, because I overset it a lot during my one-on-ones. But besides that, he told me I did pretty good.”
The highlight of the camp for Franks, he said, was “just being able to do the same drills they did, actual college players for Clemson usually do on a day-to-day basis. So, that was pretty interesting.”
Franks also made a couple of unofficial visits to Clemson this spring, first for the Tigers’ March 12 junior day and then for the Orange & White Spring Game on April 9.
The local lineman, who plays high school ball less than an hour away from Clemson’s campus, relishes the fact he’s on the recruiting radar of a big-time program in Clemson – especially considering that he grew up rooting for the Tigers.
And just a couple of years ago, he would have doubted that he’d eventually be drawing interest from Swinney’s program.
“Of course, it’s very good. I enjoy it a lot because I grew up as a Clemson fan,” he said of Clemson’s interest in him. “So, that’s just something that I really like. I’m surprised I’m now getting interest from Clemson, a school that I wouldn’t think I’d get interest from – if you asked me like two years ago, I just wouldn’t think I’d get interest from them.”
Franks has steadily racked up offers since receiving his first one from Ole Miss on May 4. Miami, Louisville, South Florida, Liberty and Miami (Ohio) subsequently offered that month, while South Carolina, North Carolina, Penn State and Coastal Carolina have entered the mix with offers in June.
Franks, who expects to likely get back to Clemson for a game in the fall, has his fingers crossed for a future offer from the school he grew up a fan of.
“The coaches, I can see what they’ve built, and I can see the family they’re building around there,” he said of Clemson. “So, I definitely like to see a team build on something that’s already up there. It’s something interesting and very good to be a part of.”
In addition to Clemson, Franks has camped at Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Miami and Coastal Carolina. He returned to South Carolina for its cookout last weekend and has also visited Louisville and South Florida this month.
–Photo courtesy of Blake Franks on Twitter (@blizz_blake)
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