They say that everything happens for a reason, and the cliché could certainly be used in the story of how Terry Franklin, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end from Legacy High in Mansfield, Texas became a Sooner.
You see Franklin was not even playing Varsity games as a junior, but who better than a former collegiate standout, current legacy Coach Chris Melson, to let his former team know all about one of the best kept secrets in the entire country.
“When I took over at this job he was obviously a guy who stood out to me,” Coach Melson explained. “So I started to Coach Venables, who is a personal friend of mine, about him. Anytime I see a player whether it is someone I coach or play against I let him know.”
“I sent them a DVD and they loved his explosion and his ability to close quickly off of the edge. He is just a heck of a ball player. He is very smart. He is just not one of those types of guys that will go to a lot of camps or anything like that.”
Franklin may have been a surprise to many of the fans and recruiting analysts, but he has been receiving interest from the Sooners for awhile, and it was an unofficial trip to Norman last season that allowed him the opportunity to fall in love with the campus.
“They offered him on February fourth, so he took his time to think it through” Melson explained. “Terry had been receiving lots of letters and things like that, but Oklahoma was his only offer. He liked what he saw while he was up there during the season for a game.”
Coach Melson compares Franklin’s game to a player that most Sooner fans may recognize.
“He reminds me of a guy when played named James Goode from Houston Yates,” Melson informed. “He is similar in size and ability. He is real quick. He may remind some current fans of No. 33 (Auston English) from Canada, but he is not yet that big.”
One thing is certain it seems the both the Sooners, Coach Melson, and Terry Franklin were all at the right place at the right time…