Last Chance U

Roberts is listed on MSU roster

 

Yeah, I think he's pretty much a designated clipboard-holder who's learning about coaching down the line.

 

Agreed. I wonder if Mullen reached out to him.

Seems like there is more than meets the eye with Franklin story. In his Auburn bio he is listed as JUCO All American for essentially a half of football.

UNIOR COLLEGE/HIGH SCHOOL: Big-time athlete who can impact every aspect of the offense … JUCO All-American … January enrollee in public administration … passed for 733 yards (64-110) and seven scores and rushed for 451 yards and nine TD at East Mississippi CC, helping Coach Buddy Stephens’ Lions to a No. 3 national ranking and the MACJC North title … against Mississippi Delta, rushed for 172 yards (5 TD of 65, 33, 29, 13, 5 yds) on just 10 carries, and 10-16 passing for 119 yards, 1 TD all in first half … redshirted 2013 season at Florida State, winning offensive scout team player of the year honors; limited action in 2014 … member of ACC champion 4x100 relay team … led Coach Doug Gatewood’s Paladins to 9-2 record, FHSAA 8A playoff berth at South Plantation (Fla.) High … Brian Piccolo Scholar-Athlete Award … state 4x100 relay champion and 100m runner-up as a senior … also a basketball letterman

 

As mentioned before, Mississippi State had a back-up quarterback (Elijah Staley) transfer midway thru fall camp and had a need for a fourth guy.

 

Bill Clark confident 'Last Chance U' main subject D.J. Law can succeed at UAB


"One of the things we talk about when guys has circumstances and he's now on the other side on, does he really get that he's blessed and take advantage of it," Clark said. "I see that out of him, then let's see the proof in the pudding, but he's excited to be here."

"For me, been since day one, we start with academics first. We've got this great track record. Don't come here if you don't care about academics. If you do, you're in the right place."

Clark, who was coaching at Prattville High School when MTV showed two seasons of Hoover High's "Two-A-Days," is not a fan of the documentary. Netflix announced that a second season of "Last Chance U" would be filmed, but it won't be following Law to UAB, Clark said.

"I think some of it is, I'm sure, obviously true and some of it is made for TV," Clark said. "They kind of push that stuff and egg it on. I don't like to see kids portrayed in a negative light, but it is what it is."

 

That does some strange. The only explanation, and I did think about it, might be that Franklin did some good things in the midseason games that the doc sort of glossed over.

 

Definitely better stats than they showed in the doc, but more than a quarter of his rushing and more than a third of his total TDs came in that last game. Still, you had to figure he didn't get an Auburn offer just on one half of football against a bad JUCO team.

 

Don't have Netflix, but at least the first two episodes are on YouTube. I looked at a gamer on the first game this year and EMCC played without any returning players because of suspensions coming out of last season's brawl. All they had were this year's incoming freshmen and transfers from four-year schools.

 

The bottom feeders in the MACJC — Delta, Coahoma, Southwest, East Central — are generally god-awful. I'm thinking he piled up big stats in garbage time against some of those teams.

 

Actually, East Central made the playoffs for the first time in forever last season. But, otherwise, you're right. There can be a pretty big gap between the haves and the have nots in the MACJC, and if you make the wrong coaching hire, you can go from a have to a have-not in a big hurry. Exhibit A is Jones: which went 15-6 in two seasons under Ray Perkins (yes, THAT Ray Perkins), but was 2-7 in 2015, two years after Perkins retired for good.

 

The other quirky thing about Mississippi Jucos is that they can take just a handful of in-state kids who come from counties outside their school's service area. (I think they couldn't take any in the old days.)

 

No longer the case. The entire state is open now, as of about 2012.

However, they are limited in the number of out-of-state players they can have on their roster (it used to be 10, then was cut to 8). Albert can probably fill us in on what the current limit is.