COLUMBIA, Mo. — A need to adjust always has been part of James Franklin's career at Missouri.
It began his freshman year, when he appeared in 10 games and faced expectations as Blaine Gabbert's understudy. It continued the spring before his sophomore season, when he found himself in a closer-than-expected race with backup Tyler Gabbert. It resurfaced last fall, when he limped through a midseason slump that saw him toss six interceptions in three games.
Now the junior quarterback's next test looks like this: Him standing near midfield at Memorial Stadium in street clothes with his right arm in a sling as backups Corbin Berkstresser, Ashton Glaser and Alex Demczak throw during drills.
The sight represents another hurdle for the player who's presumed to lead Missouri in its SEC-ession from the Big 12. Franklin underwent surgery March 23 to repair a sprained glenohumeral joint. It's a common but painful injury that occurred when a defender landed on Franklin's arm after a scramble for a fumble earlier in the spring.
How's his recovery? Well, few outside Missouri's program know. Franklin hasn't been made available to speak about his status. Coaches say he will sit out the rest of the spring. He is projected to return Sept. 1 for the season opener against Southeastern Louisiana.
"We think it was the right thing to do without question," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said of the decision to have Franklin undergo surgery. "He's a pretty special guy. He'll heal quick. He works tremendously hard in that training room, and that's so much of it. So much of it is having a great attitude — you have to have a great plan in place. You have to get people to help him."
Few young quarterbacks have it easy when trying to leave their mark on a program. There are examples from Missouri's recent past that show how hard a breakthrough in black and gold can be. Chase Daniel played behind Brad Smith for a season and wasn't known as anyone other than The Man Who Followed Brad until his junior year, when he led the Tigers within one half of the national championship game. Blaine Gabbert came to campus as a decorated recruit who drew John Elway comparisons, but he struggled to escape Daniel's legacy and is remembered more for not delivering on hype.
Following that lineage is hard enough for Franklin, but he must do so without the benefits that a year of experience usually provide. His learning curve starts over with Missouri's move to the Southeastern Conference. There will be new defenses to study. There will be new expectations to meet. There will be new pressures to avoid.
And that's assuming he's healthy by fall camp and beats out a confident Berkstresser to remain Missouri's quarterback of the future. Even when he returns, Franklin must prove himself again.
"I'm preparing like I'm going to be the starter," Berkstresser said. "I hope (Franklin) comes back. But . . . hopefully I can take advantage of it and get some chemistry with the No. 1s. . . . I need to be a leader. I know I am a freshman. But as a quarterback, I have to be a leader."
Franklin showed he was a leader late last fall. There were real concerns about his ability to handle the job after he threw three interceptions in a blowout loss to Oklahoma State. That day, Missouri fell to 3-4, and some wondered (rightly so) whether his mind was tough enough to manage his position.
But he recovered. He followed that dismal outing by leading the Tigers with four touchdowns in an overtime victory at Texas A&M. A week later, he threw for three touchdowns in a close loss at Baylor. He finished with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions after the poor showing against Oklahoma State.
"I stayed negative (during the slump), and I worried about plays in the past when I should have put that away," Franklin said during Independence Bowl preparations in December. "It took me a long time. The advice I should have given myself was not to worry about those mistakes as long."
Now, Franklin finds himself in a familiar position because of his injury: He must evolve to remain the face of his program, and he must do it in a year of great and uncertain change.
Adjustment is nothing new to the tested talent. But yet again, he must prove his worth.
