Meet 4-Star QB Feleipe Franks, the First Invite to the Elite 11 Finals

One of the bigger names in attendance at the Orlando Nike camp on Sunday was 4-star LSU commitment and quarterback Feleipe Franks.

The 6’5”, 220-pounder from Wakulla (Florida) High School didn’t disappoint, as he put on a show and became the first passer in the 2016 class to earn a prestigious invite to the Elite 11 finals.

As noted by Shea Dixon of 247Sports, Franks earned high praise after flashing a big arm during drills and in the seven-on-seven portions of the camp. 

"The LSU commitment showed a strong arm and did a good job making a variety of throws," according to the 247Sports staff who viewed Franks at the camp. "Franks is a quarterback that continues to progress at a good rate."

What makes Franks a special prospect and why is he poised to become the quarterback of the future in Baton Rouge? 

For starters, he brings an NFL type of frame to the table. 

As his work in Orlando showed, he also has the type of arm talent that makes him one of the more coveted signal-callers in the 2016 class. 

Along with the size, Franks, who is rated as the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback, has the capacity to make big plays happen with his legs when things break down in the pocket. 

Recently, LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron detailed to Ron Higgins of NOLA.com exactly what he is looking for from the quarterback position in his system.

"We want a pocket-mobile guy, but not a run-first guy,” Cameron told Higgins. “We want someone who's tough, smart and can throw the ball like Zach Mettenberger, someone with a strong arm who's innately accurate."

Franks seems to have all of the traits necessary to excel in Cameron’s offense.

According to MaxPreps, as a junior, Franks threw for 2,249 yards with 28 touchdowns and only eight interceptions while racking up another 425 yards and three scores on the ground.

He committed to the Tigers last June over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Georgia, among others. As Sonny Shipp of Geaux247 notes, he’s remained firm in his pledge despite other schools still coming after him. 

His high school head coach, Scott Klees, told Shipp that another thing that makes his star pupil special is his competitive drive.

“One thing I really like about him is he is a competitor and really wants to win,” Klees said. “The biggest thing about Feleipe when he goes to LSU is he is going to have all of the tools, but what I think is going to separate him from others is he is such a competitor that he is going to put in the work to win.”

That spirit was on display at the camp, and it helped him take a step forward in proving himself to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the 2016 class.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.