Hours after John Franklin III bolted from Auburn, the quarterback has already announced his transfer destination:
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"To My Auburn Family,
Thank you for loving me and accepting into the family. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a player for this great university. In life your happiness is all you have control over and I am making a personal decision to leave Auburn and go home and continue to make my dreams come true. To Coach Malzahn, thank you for giving me an opportunity to attend Auburn University. To all the coaches, I thank you for straining me to be the best player I can be day in and day out. To the fans, thank you for being behind me and cheering me on through it all. Jordan-Hare was something special because of all of you and I will truly miss Tiger Walk. Last but not least, to my teammates, you guys were the ones I had to lean on through everything. You guys made me feel like I belonged here and accepted me from day one. You guys looked up to me to be one of your leaders and that means more to me than anything else. I will miss y'all but we are brothers for life no matter what.
As I go through this rough time right now, I ask that everyone respects my decision for my life and respects me and my family's privacy. This wasn't a easy decision by any means, but its what's best for me and my family and right now I'm doing what I need to do for the betterment of myself as a player, and a man. Once again thanks you for everything. I'm coming home and looking forward to playing my last collegiate season at FAU under Coach Lane Kiffin and excited to see what God has in store for me on this journey. #OwlGang #thefaU"
Head coach Lane Kiffin confirmed the news in a tweet:
The former Florida State transfer has been at Auburn for the past two years, where work as a quarterback didn't pan out for him as the Tigers struggled with production at the position. Franklin had been working recently as a wide receiver for Auburn, but it now appears that he is leaving the program as head coach Gus Malzahn announced that Franklin was seeking transfer.
From 247Sports:
"John Franklin came to me expressing his desire for the chance to play more and get closer to home," Malzahn said in a statement Tuesday. "He has made the decision to play elsewhere this season as a graduate transfer. John has been an outstanding young man during his time here and leaves Auburn with a degree. We wish John nothing but the best and thank him for his time at Auburn."
Franklin finishes his Auburn career with 430 rushing yards, 204 passing yards, and three total touchdowns.
