Carl Franks has always believed a football team can never have enough running backs. Running backs are arguably more susceptible to injury than other football players and sometimes the smallest nick or knack can affect their performance, many football coaches believe.
When he was running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at USF under Jim Leavitt, Franks sometimes used a running back by committee approach to the dismay of some fans. Some wanted to see one guy emerge from the pack like many local people felt about Mike Ford, the Sarasota High product considered to be the best running back Manatee-Sarasota County ever produced.
Franks is now Director of Player of Personnel under USF head coach Skip Holtz, but even with a new coach his philosophy seems to be on point.
The Bulls lost running back Dontae Aycock, the highly touted transfer from Auburn, this week when he quit the team. Aycock was overweight and admitted to Holtz that his heart just wasn’t in it.
Initial reports from USF listed the 5-11 Aycock at 253 pounds, which would’ve meant a 29 pound weight gain since the spring. It was corrected to 233 pounds, which still represented a nine pound weight gain from spring that left Holtz commenting he needed to trim down.
Aycock reportedly told Holtz he couldn’t do it and turned his gear before the Bulls left for their Vero Beach spring camp.
The Aycock situation has to raise concern about Darrell Scott, another transfer running back (from Colorado) who has had weight issues in the past that reportedly affected this performance and led to injuries.
The six-foot-one-inch Scott was listed at 246 in the USF fall roster, which represents a 16 pound increase from the spring.
Also leaving the Bulls was Venice defensive end Brandon Wilkinson, who told Holtz he wanted to go a school where he could get more playing time quicker.
