Franks is No. 10 for the Red Raiders in 2018
Mansfield Legacy offensive lineman Clayton Franks has committed to Texas Tech, giving the coaching staff a total of 10 commitments for the 2018 class and seven (7) total new commitments over the past 11 days.
Franks had great things to say following his recent visit to Texas Tech, and the recent momentum on the recruiting trail for the Red Raiders certainly caught his attention.
"For me, it came down to Texas Tech and Baylor," Franks said. "I was supposed to camp with Baylor and they were talking about offering, but they had already come by the school three times in the spring and I didn't know what else they wanted to see from me. This whole past week, it's been on my conscience and I just feel that Tech is where God wants me to be.
"With Coach (Brandon) Jones, I still remember that he didn't even know who I was until Coach (Eric) Morris had told him about me. But even then, he said that it only took two series before he knew that he wanted to offer me. When I visited, Coach Jones and Coach (Manny) Ramirez both made me feel at home. I felt very comfortable with them being my coaches on the next level."
Franks went on to share more about the moment he committed to the Texas Tech coaches.
"I started off by calling Coach Jones, it was about 8:00 a.m. this morning," Franks said yesterday. "He had actually just woken up and said 'what's up Clayton?'. I told him that his day was about to get a lot better, then I gave him the good news. Coach Jones has been wanting me to commit since I visited a few weeks ago. He was very excited, he congratulated me and then we just talked for a while.
"I'm supposed to get a call from Coach (Kliff) Kingsbury and Coach (Eric) Morris sometime tomorrow. Coach Kingsbury was out of town when I visited, so he just wants to touch base with me and get to know me a little bit. Coach Jones basically said those two guys run the Tech offense and really just want to congratulate me on the decision."
The latest Texas Tech commitment also discussed the decision making process and what stood out about the Red Raiders.
"I would say it has kind of hit me that I'm committed," Franks said. "I have always dreamed of being in this position, but now it is finally a reality. I'm still wrapping my head around it, but after I called Coach Jones earlier, it felt like a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.
"My parents had a huge influence on me and my Dad was on the visit to Tech with me. He was actually shocked that I didn't commit during the visit. And even when I told my Mom about the decision, she said 'I know' because I had been talking about it and making it obvious to them over the past week.
"I ultimately made the decision myself, my parents gave me some space and let me make my own decision. I asked myself two questions - is this a school that I would attend outside of football, and then could I see myself playing football there as well? Both were a resounding yes for me after thinking through everything."
In terms of how Franks will fit into the offensive line at Texas Tech, the coaches talked with him about playing a few positions.
"On the visit, Coach Jones talked with me about playing on the interior of the line, mostly playing the guard position," Franks said. "But he also told me to not be surprised if I end up playing some right tackle. We talked about playing a little bit of both to start, then seeing where the need is at that point."
Now committed, what is next for the 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman this off-season?
"I just want to keep in touch with the coaches and do whatever I can do over the next year in order to get ready to play right away," Franks said. "My strength coach at Legacy actually played in college and was a strength & conditioning coach at the college level. We were able to land him because he is related to our head coach. I basically went up to him and let him know that I want to be ready to play by the time I get there, and he told me let's do it.
"I'm sure we will connect after my announcement, but I haven't talked with any of the other 2018 commitments yet. I definitely want to touch base with all of them. I have been seeing all of the announcements on Twitter over the past week. I actually train with an offensive line coach, Tony Johnson, at Grapevine high school and have heard great things about our quarterback commitment Alan (Bowman)."
With several months left in the recruiting process, how solid is Franks with his commitment to Texas Tech?
"Tech is my place and that's where I believe I'm meant to be," Franks said. "I feel like it's the best fit for me and I'm not worried about the coaches being on the hot seat at all. I'm not basing my decision on the coaches only because that can always change. It was really just a family thing for me, because I always wanted my grandmother to be able to watch the games on TV and possibly attend a game to watch me play in college."
Currently rated a 5.3 two-star prospect, Franks earned District 10-5A All-District First Team Offense and TSWA Class 5A All-State Third Team Offense honors this past season.
Franks chose the Red Raiders over five other offers and interest from several other programs. He becomes the first offensive lineman commitment for Texas Tech and the sixth prospect taken on offense in the 2018 class.