Mizzou ‘expecting Franklin won’t’ miss any games

By John TaylorApr 4, 2012, 1:26 PM EDT

It’s been a couple of weeks since Missouri quarterback James Franklin underwent shoulder surgery, and head coach Gary Pinkel is optimistic his starter will be available for the season opener in early September.

At this point in time, however, Pinkel has stopped short of stating with any degree of certainty that Franklin won’t miss any game time.

In his first public comments on Franklin’s prognosis since the player underwent the medical procedure March 23, Pinkel said that Franklin should be able to resume throwing in 12 weeks, which would put the timetable for a return somewhere around early July. There’s also the possibility that the current time frame could be accelerated, Pinkel said.

But, again, Pinkel and the football program are taking the cautiously optimistic approach when it comes to the Sept. 1 game against Southeastern Louisiana.

“We’re expecting that he won’t [miss any games],” Pinkel said by way of the Columbia Daily Tribune. “But to say that can’t happen, I can’t say that. We feel that he can get ready to play. Bottom line, we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

That said, Pinkel added that “[u]nless something happens, we’re certainly planning on him playing Day 1 in the fall.”

Franklin suffered what was initially diagnosed as a sprained right (throwing) shoulder during a spring practice session March 13. Further medical evaluations determined that surgery was necessary, knocking the junior out for the remainder of the spring.

Franklin won Mizzou’s starting job last spring, and then proceeded to stuff the stat sheets with 2,865 passing yards, 981 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns — 21 passing, 15 rushing — in his first year as the Tigers’ starter.

Given Franklin’s experience and the opponent for the 2012 opener, his availability for the first game of the season is not critical. With Georgia, Arizona State, South Carolina and UCF all coming in quick succession in September? It’s imperative Franklin gets healthy sooner rather than later as Mizzou enters its first season as a member of the SEC.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

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Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.