How Wisconsin Senior Jaylan Franklin Is Living Up To His Potential At Tight End – KPCnews.com

Paul Chryst’s words from 19 months ago about tight end Jaylan Franklin still apply.

Chryst said that Franklin brought something different to the tight end group as he explained why the University of Wisconsin football coaching staff moved Franklin to the offensive side of the ball after starting his career as an outside linebacker.

What exactly those differences are has been hard to discern for fans who only see the Badgers play games. Franklin played one snap in 2020, his first season at tight end, and just 80 last season. Just about half (41) of his plays came in the Las Vegas Bowl, when the Badgers were depleted at his position.

But Franklin, a senior from Brownstown, Michigan, has had plenty of opportunities to show what he can add to the offense this spring. He’s been one of the only tight ends to be healthy enough to participate in each spring practice, and he’s coming into his own.

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“(All the work this spring has) given me that confidence that I was looking for,” Franklin said. “I had that experience (last season) and got my feet wet a little bit. It kind of just turned into wanting to know more, wanting to learn more and trying to figure out different things that are making me more successful in certain situations.”

Franklin is the most physically impressive tight end on the UW roster. He has high-level speed for a 6-foot-4, 240-pound receiving threat and does a good job catching the ball away from his body, giving his quarterbacks a wide radius to put passes. He was part of one of the best plays of Saturday’s sessions, catching a pass between two safeties as he ran a post into the end zone.

Tight end isn’t foreign to him. He was recruited at the position out of high school as well, but there was plenty for him to learn as he switched to the position at UW. Franklin said it wasn’t until the middle of last season, about a full calendar year from making the move, for everything to click.

“I think he’s matured a lot,” senior tight end Jack Eschenbach said. “He’s much more consistent with technique. He doesn’t have many mental errors anymore. … Maturity wise, you could just tell he’s a whole new player.”

UW is trying to replace venerable ironman Jake Ferguson at tight end after he played more than 90% of the team’s offensive snaps the last three seasons. There’s other transition in the group after UW tapped former position coach Mickey Turner to lead the recruiting. Chris Haering, the former special teams coordinator, took over the tight end room.

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Haering said he’s leaned on the experience of his older players like Eschenbach and Franklin to make the transition smooth. He’s also used the four Badgers staffers who have coached tight ends — Chryst, Turner, offensive coordinator Bobby Engram and offensive line coach Bob Bostad — as sounding boards.

Franklin’s improvement as a blocker has caught Haering’s eye.

“He’s really kind of dialed in on the little things about playing tight end,” Haering said. “And he’s becoming more physical. He’s starting to trust himself in the blocking. And when he does that, I think he’s got a chance to really help us.”

Learning how to block in game situations was one of the biggest hurdles to feeling confident as a tight end, Franklin said. Most of his blocking reps last season tried to use Franklin’s athleticism, such as reach blocks on the edge and ones that went back across the formation. He now is being asked to block on the line, putting him against bigger defensive linemen and linebackers.

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It’s a challenge that’s humbling, but one he enjoys.

“You never want to be a one-sided guy, be able to only do one thing,” Franklin said. “So for me, I’m glad I have the skill set to catch the ball and run routes well, to do all those things. But I also want to be able to be on the field at all times … so if I have to learn how to block and get my butt kicked learning, I think that’s a risk I’m willing to take because I want to be the best player I can be.”

There will be competition for the top tight end roles once the group is healthy, but Franklin has taken advantage of getting an extended look with the No. 1 offense this spring.

Franklin’s development may have taken time, but he’s showing the things that set him apart.

“There’s no doubt there’s times where he showed up,” Chryst said. “How do you put it together? And can you be a guy that can be more of an every-down player? I’ve always felt that it’s in him. This is important for him this spring.”