Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Martin: Wide receiver Austin Franklin on track to play

During a recent phone conversation, New Mexico State head football coach Doug Martin said Austin Franklin was on track to be academically eligible entering the 2013 football season.

Franklin was held out of the majority of spring football practices because, Martin said at the time, “He wasn’t at my standard right now. And until he gets the academics to where it meets my standard, he's not going to be out there.”

Martin said Tuesday, however, that Franklin did well during the spring semester, while adding Franklin had to continue similar progress during summer school to ensure his eligibility for the fall semester.

Making sure Franklin takes the field when the games count seems like a wise move for Aggie football. He could very well be the team's most dynamic player, a vital home-run hitter for the offense. Last year he accounted for 1,245 of the team's 2,853 yards receiving, while recordng 74 of the Aggies' 215 pass receptions. His nine touchdowns also led the team.

Another Aggie, cornerback Randell Carroll, was out of spring practices for similar reasons as Franklin, although Martin sounded less certain about Carroll’s fall eligibility. The head coach didn’t want to comment on Carroll’s status or speculate on his academic standing moving forward. Carroll was a senior transfer from UCLA this past offseason.

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The Aggies received a verbal commitment from a Colorado native. Click here to read more.

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