Kirk Francis News, Rumors, Updates - Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Texas Tech picks up Francis Francis has committed to Texas Tech, On3 reports.

Impact Francis will transfer to Texas Tech from Tulsa. While part of the Golden Hurricane's quarterback room three seasons, he logged 270 completed passes for 3,045 yards and 18 touchdowns.

JANUARY 14 • ROTOWIRE

Will enter portal Francis will enter the NCAA's transfer portal, according to his X account.

Impact As part of Tulsa, Francis logged three seasons, the 2025 campaign his latest. It also includes the quarterback's career worsts in passing yards and touchdowns, which gives motive for his portal entry. Francis has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

DECEMBER 1, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Loses starting role Francis is no longer the starting quarterback for Tulsa, head coach Tre Lamb told Larry Lewis of Inside Tulsa Sports.

Impact Francis had a woeful showing in Week 6, completing only 20 of 34 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown and three picks in a 45-7 loss to Memphis. Francis owns a 3:4 TD:INT in three appearances this season, and the change means Baylor Hayes has been promoted to the starting role under center.

OCTOBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Throws three picks in loss Francis was 20 of 34 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions during Saturday's 45-7 loss to Memphis.

Impact Francis didn't bring his best stuff this week in what was his first game since Week 2. The sophomore struggled to find a rhythm, throwing a career-high three interceptions.

OCTOBER 5, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Lewis throws 3 touchdown passes, runs in another as Memphis rides turnovers to 45-7 win over Tulsa

Brendon Lewis had three passing touchdowns and rushed for another, while the Memphis defense secured four turnovers in a 45-7 win over Tulsa on Saturday night

OCTOBER 5, 2025 • Associated Press

Available but not starting Francis (concussion) is cleared to play but will serve as the backup quarterback for Saturday's game versus Tulane, Brett McMurphy of On3.com reports.

Impact Francis, who missed the last two games with a concussion, is cleared for Saturday's contest. However, the coaching staff decided they will go with Baylor Hayes as the starter for the third straight week after he led the team to a win at Oklahoma State last Friday. It's unclear at the moment if Hayes will remain the starter if he continues to play well.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Available but not starting Francis (concussion) is cleared to play but will serve as the backup quarterback for Saturday's game versus Tulane, Brett McMurphy of On3.com reports.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Haynes throws TD pass, Morgan kicks 4 FG, Tulsa gets rare win over Oklahoma State 19-12

Baylor Hayes threw for 219 yards and a touchdown and Seth Morgan kicked four field goals to help Tulsa defeat Oklahoma State 19-12 for the first time in 27 years

SEPTEMBER 20, 2025 • Associated Press

Out vs. OK State Francis (concussion) was seen in street clothes during warmups and won't play against Oklahoma State on Friday, Michael Peters of the Tulsa World Sports reports.

Impact As expected, Francis is out due to the concussion he suffered in the Week 3 loss to New Mexico State. Baylor Hayes will get the start for the Golden Hurricane. Francis' next chance to play will come in Week 5 when Tulsa hosts Tulane on Saturday, Sep. 27.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Likely out Friday night Francis (concussion) will likely be sidelined for Friday night against Oklahoma State, per Pete Thamel of ESPN.com.

Impact Francis sustained a concussion in the loss to New Mexico State, and sat out Week 3 against Navy. He'll now likely miss a second straight game, as he's reportedly set to dress and only be available in the capacity of an emergency quarterback. In his stead, Baylor Hayes will get the start for the Golden Hurricane. Francis' next chance to play will come in Week 5 when Tulsa hosts Tulane.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Out for Week 3 Francis (concussion) is out for Saturday's game against the Navy, Brett McMurphy of On3 reports.

Impact Considering that Tulsa's head coach Tre Lamb previously called Francis' injury "a pretty bad concussion" less than one week ago, it is not surprising the team is playing it safe by not using him in Week 3. In his place against the Navy is Baylor Hayes.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with concussion Francis is dealing with what Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb called a "pretty bad concussion," per Michael Peters of the Tulsa World.

Impact Francis tossed for 100 yards and an interception before sustaining his concussion in the loss to New Mexico State. He was replaced by Baylor Hayes, who figures to assume the role of starting quarterback should Francis miss time. Concussions are unpredictable, and right now there's no real handle on how much time Francis could possibly miss.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

100 yards passing in loss Francis was 13 of 23 passing for 100 yards and one interception during Saturday's 21-14 loss versus New Mexico State.

Impact Francis was the main quarterback in Tulsa's season-opening win against Abilene Christian, but split snaps with Baylor Hayes this week after starting the game poorly. The sophomore looked to have the starting role locked up heading into the year, but the job now seems to be anyone's game, and it is likely he will split snaps again next week.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Logan Fife's late TD pass lifts New Mexico State to 21-14 victory over Tulsa

Logan Fife threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Harris late in the fourth quarter to rally New Mexico State to a 21-14 victory over Tulsa

SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 • Associated Press

Two touchdown passes in opener Francis completed 20 of 31 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's 35-7 victory versus Abilene Christian.

Impact Entering his second season as the starter, Francis made easy work of Abilene Christian, recording at least two touchdown passes for the fifth time in his career. The Tulsa native will look to have a strong showing again next week against New Mexico State before starting conference play.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Richardson leads dominant Tulsa rushing attack with TD in 35-7 opening win over Abilene Christian

Dominic Richardson ran for 142 yards and a touchdown, leading a 263-yard team rushing performance for Tulsa in a dominant 35-7 win over Abilene Christian in a season opener for bot...

AUGUST 31, 2025 • Associated Press

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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • 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, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

KIRK FRANCIS NEWS

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GAME LOG

Lewis throws 3 touchdown passes, runs in another as Memphis rides turnovers to 45-7 win over Tulsa

Haynes throws TD pass, Morgan kicks 4 FG, Tulsa gets rare win over Oklahoma State 19-12

Logan Fife's late TD pass lifts New Mexico State to 21-14 victory over Tulsa

Richardson leads dominant Tulsa rushing attack with TD in 35-7 opening win over Abilene Christian