Kirk Francis News, Rumors, Updates - Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Solid in relief of Legas Francis was 19-for-33 passing for 226 yards, two touchdowns and one interception during Saturday's 63-16 defeat to Florida Atlantic.

Impact For the second straight game Francis replaced Cooper Legas Saturday, this time coming early in the second quarter. Francis tossed two touchdown passes, but he also committed two turnovers in the blowout loss. It was a tough first full season for him as he completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,590 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He is set to be in contention for the starting job next season.

DECEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE

Decent in relief effort Francis completed 5 of 7 passes for 110 yards during Saturday's 63-30 loss versus South Florida.

Impact Francis came into Saturday's game during the third quarter after Cooper Legas threw an interception on back-to-back plays. Francis immediately sparked the offense, connecting with Joseph Williams on a 72-yard catch and run, however Williams fumbled the ball on the one-yard line. Francis led three drives before handing off the offense to Tim Carpenter. It's unclear who will start Saturday's season finale versus Florida Atlantic, especially after head coach Kevin Wilson was fired.

NOVEMBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles prior to benching Francis was 8-for-13 passing for 37 yards during Saturday's 46-45 victory over Texas-San Antonio. He also rushed four times for -25 yards and lost a fumble.

Impact Francis started Saturday's contest but was benched in favor of Cooper Legas early in the second quarter after the Golden Hurricane fell down 20-0 thanks in larger part to his poor play. To make matters worse for Francis, Legas tossed five touchdowns in his three quarters of action and led the Golden Hurricane to a shocking comeback win. Based on that, it seems likely that Legas will get the start this Saturday at UAB.

OCTOBER 28 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles off the bench Francis was 11-for-23 passing for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception during Saturday's 20-10 defeat versus Temple. He also had eight rushes for negative four yards.

Impact Francis did not start Saturday's game as that honor went to Cooper Legas. However, after Legas did not get much going on the first two drives, Francis took over the offense for the remainder of the game. He did not play particularly well as he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes for the third time in his last five games and once again added nothing on the ground. The Golden Hurricane's quarterback situation is in flux right now, so it's best to avoid both Francis and Legas for the time being.

OCTOBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

Unproductive in split action Francis completed 16 of 22 passes for 84 yards during Saturday's 49-7 loss versus Army.

Impact While he completed a high percentage of his passes Saturday, Francis failed to throw for 100 yards and did not lead a single scoring drive in the loss. He split snaps with Cooper Legas and while Legas was not productive through the air, he ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Golden Hurricane have a bye week in Week 7 and could make a quarterback change ahead of the Week 8 matchup at Temple.

OCTOBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Benched after disastrous first half Francis completed 13 of 29 passes for 101 yards and two interceptions during Saturday's 52-20 loss to North Texas.

Impact Francis had a rough enough first half that he was benched for the second half. He and the Golden Hurricane were up 3-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter but after the Mean Green scored a 96-yard touchdown, the floodgates opened. Francis went three-and-out on the following drive, then after a UNT field goal went three-and-out again, then after another UNT touchdown he threw an interception that allowed North Texas to take a 24-3 lead out of nowhere. Francis has been up and down so far this season and it's unclear where he currently stands. The team tried out four different quarterbacks in the blowout loss, so they are clearly searching for answers. Francis will likely start the team's next game versus Army, but given how Army is currently playing, that could turn sour quickly.

SEPTEMBER 30 • ROTOWIRE

Leads overtime win Francis completed 24 of 36 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 23-20 overtime win over Louisiana Tech.

Impact Even though his stats don't jump off the page, Francis put together a nice performance in the overtime win. He completed two-thirds of his passes on a season-high 36 attempts and threw his sixth touchdown of the season. After four non-conference games he now heads into conference play, starting at North Texas on Saturday.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in ranked loss Francis was 14-for-31 passing for 153 yards and one interception during Saturday's 45-10 loss against Oklahoma State.

Impact Francis completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and tossed his second interception of the season Saturday, a rough outing versus the ranked Cowboys. He was taken out of the game after his interception in the third quarter, and the Golden Hurricane scored all 10 of their points after he left the game. While there is little doubt that Francis is still the starting quarterback, it was another rough outing for him.

SEPTEMBER 16 • ROTOWIRE

Mediocre in loss Francis completed 16 of 28 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception during Saturday's 28-24 loss versus Arkansas State.

Impact Francis threw for just under 200 yards Saturday, a disappointing sequel to his excellent Week 1 performance. He also tossed one touchdown and had another opportunity taken from him as backup quarterback Cardell Williams subbed in with the team in the redzone and scored a five-yard rushing touchdown. That will likely not be the last time that happens given Williams' strong rushing ability, and that will hurt Francis' upside since it takes away touchdown opportunities.

SEPTEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Mediocre in loss Francis completed 16 of 28 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception during Saturday's 28-24 loss versus Arkansas State.

SEPTEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Excellent in season opener Francis completed 23 of 30 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns during Thursday's 62-28 win against Northwestern State.

Impact Francis looked great in the season opener, tossing for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns and completing over 75 percent of his passes. Granted, it was against the weakest opponent he faced all season, but it was still a great way to open up the season. He won the quarterback battle over Cardell Williams and Cooper Legas and after his performance in Week 1, he appears to have locked down that job for the season.

SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE

Excellent in season opener Francis completed 23 of 30 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns during Thursday's 62-28 win against Northwestern State.

SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE

Will take first snaps in Week 1 Francis will take the first snaps under center for Tulsa in Week 1 but "isn't our starter" per head coach Kevin Wilson, Cayden McFarland of KJRH TV reports.

Impact Francis will be part of a Week 1 quarterback committee that will also feature Cardell Williams and Cooper Legas. Tulsa seemingly can't quite decide on a starting quarterback just yet, and this competition appears to have carried over into the regular season. Last season with Tulsa, Francis tossed for 967 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 56 percent of his passes.

AUGUST 23 • ROTOWIRE

Battling for Tulsa's starting job Francis is battling for Tulsa's starting job against Cardell Williams and Cooper Legas, Cayden McFarland of KJRH TV reports.

Impact Cardell Williams (shoulder) sitting out most of November 2023 resulted in Francis being the Golden Hurricane's quarterback then. The latter played relatively well, logging 62 completions for 893 yards and a 6:2 TD:INT ratio across three games he started. Ideally, the Hurricane's head coach Kevin Wilson selects his QB1 before they begin their 2024 season against Northwestern State on Aug. 29.

JULY 29 • ROTOWIRE

Solid end to the season Francis completed 23 of 37 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception during Saturday's 29-27 victory versus East Carolina. He also had three rushes for 23 yards.

Impact Francis had a nice end to his freshman season Saturday, tossing two touchdown passes and setting a season-high with 23 rushing yards on three attempts. In four games (three starts) this season, he completed 68 of his 121 pass attempts for 967 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Even with a crowded quarterback room, Francis may find himself as a contender for the starting job next season after a solid freshman year campaign.

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Another solid day Saturday Francis completed 17 of 34 passes for 251 yards, three touchdowns and one interception during Saturday's 35-28 defeat against North Texas. He also had five rushes for -23 yards.

Impact Francis started his second straight game Saturday and once again put together a positive performance. While he completed just 50 percent of his passes, he threw three touchdowns and nearly led the Golden Hurricane to a win. The only downside to his outing was an interception in the fourth quarter. With any postseason hopes already gone, it would not be surprising to see the true freshman lead the offense once again in Saturday's season finale at East Carolina.

NOVEMBER 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Taking first team reps Saturday Francis is taking first team reps ahead of Saturday's game versus North Texas, Brent Briggeman of The Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

Impact Francis looks to be in line to start Saturday as he is taking reps with the first team offense in pre-game warmups. Last week he competed 22 of 34 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown.

NOVEMBER 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Solid in first significant action Francis completed 22 of 34 passes for 345 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 24-22 defeat to Tulane. He also had six rushes for three yards.

Impact While Braylon Braxton started Saturday's contest, Francis came in on the second drive and played most of the rest of the game. He played quite well in a tough matchup, completing nearly 65 percent of his passes for 345 yards and a touchdown and nearly leading a massive upset over No. 23 Tulane. Based on his performance he will likely jump Braxton in the depth chart and could be in line for his first career start Saturday versus North Texas if Cardell Williams (shoulder) remains out.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in relief Francis completed 6 of 16 passes for 74 yards and one interception during Saturday's 33-26 overtime loss to Charlotte.

Impact Francis saw his first collegiate action Saturday with Braylon Braxton benched and Cardell Williams (shoulder) injured. He did not play particularly well as he tried to hold onto the Golden Hurricane's early lead, completing just 37.5 percent of his passes for 74 yards and an interception. With Williams' status in question for Saturday's game, along with Braxton's position as the starter in jeopardy, it is not completely out of the question that Francis could receive his first career start Saturday at Tulane.

NOVEMBER 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

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