ESPN: James Franklin the most underrated player in the country
Franklin's strong résumé begins with his ranking third in the Big 12 in passer rating in conference games and seventh in rushing yards per conference game, but his case becomes even more powerful when considering how his numbers stacked up against the most highly touted dual-threat quarterback in college football: Denard Robinson.
According to cfbstats.com, Robinson posted a 146.5 passer rating and 76 rushing yards per conference contest last year. By contrast, Franklin averaged 75 rushing yards per conference game and tallied a 139.1 passer rating in Big 12 battles. Those numbers look equivalent at first glance, with Robinson holding a slight advantage, but once the strength of the Big 12 defenses is taken into account (the numbers show that the Big 12 had by far the best collection of cornerbacks in college football last season), one can see that Franklin actually outperformed Robinson. If he can replicate that level of performance against an even tougher SEC schedule in 2012, Franklin will easily earn his place in the conversation among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in college football.
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-f...ed-players-ncf