Troy’s Danny Franks avoids another serious injury

TROY — It was an all-too-familiar sight seeing Troy center Danny Franks on the ground, but the Trojan senior said he got lucky.

Franks twisted his ankle in last week’s win over North Texas and had to come out for a few plays, but returned.

“I got rolled up,” Franks said. “That’s one of the worst mistakes an offensive lineman can make, standing around a pile. My knee got bruised up a little bit, but my ankle got the worst of it. I’ll be as close to 100 percent as I can for Saturday, though.”

Franks, a three-year starter for the Trojans, has been through more than his share of injuries. Troy (5-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) hosts UL-Monroe (4-3, 3-0) Saturday at 6 p.m.

The ankle he hurt was his right ankle, which he had surgery on this spring and missed spring ball. He injured that last year against FAU, missed two full games and played the rest of the year through pain. Franks has also had three concussions (one in high school), two knee surgeries, a broken hand and plantar fasciitis.

“Me and (oft-injured teammate) Nate (Nolin)’s files are pretty close to the same thickness,” Franks said. “I was fearing the worst. It seems that every season I’ve been hindered with something. I came out of it OK and was able to go back in, so thank God for that.”

Franks has also earned a new nickname — Bloodbath the Second. Defensive tackle Eugene Kinlaw has had the nickname of Bloodbath for years.

“They’re calling me ‘Bloodbath’ because I’ve always got blood on me,” Franks said. “Playing center, you’re in the middle of everything, and you take the brunt of what happens.”

Franks has played through most of the injuries, including the broken hand and plantar fasciitis (foot). A fishing trip had to be cancelled after his ankle injury last year. Franks is an avid outdoorsman and loves motorcycles, but he sold his motorcycle a month ago to get a Ford Explorer.

With the loss of two starting tackles heading into the year, Franks was expected to be the anchor of the offensive line. He was named a preseason all-conference player and has lived up to those expectations, offensive coordinator Neal Brown said.

“He’s playing at an all-conference level right now,” Brown said. “For three weeks in a row, he’s played his best game he’s ever played here. I stood up in front of the team and said that after the Middle Tennessee game, after the FIU game and I’m about to go do that when we meet later (Monday) afternoon.”

Franks’ last concussion came in the New Orleans Bowl as Troy was leading Southern Miss in the second half. He tried to play through it, but gave up his only sack of the season and had to come out. He only started to remember details he forgot three weeks later when driving back to school from his hometown of Bartow, Fla.

“I remember calling (teammate) Steve (Adams), because I started to remember parts I had completely forgot,” Franks said. “It was pretty unreal how I could forget all of that and it would come back to me.”

He knows he’ll have to explain his injury history to scouts at the next level, and he knows staying healthy from here on out is important for a chance in the NFL.

“Being injured so much, you get tired of the pain and everything else, but I’ve always dreamed of playing at the next level,” Franks said. “I’ll give it my next try, and if nothing comes of it, then that’s what it was meant to be.”