Good thing Missouri backup quarterback Corbin Berkstresser got as many reps as he did in the first scrimmage of the spring for the Tigers. He’s going to be getting a lot more.
Missouri announced today that starting quarterback James Franklin will need surgery to repair a sprained glenohumeral (GH) joint in his right (throwing) shoulder. As a result, Franklin will miss the entire spring, but is expected to be back by the beginning of the 2012 season.
Franklin injured the shoulder in practice last week while diving for a fumble. The quarterback was originally said to be sidelined indefinitely, but there was hope that Franklin could return in time for Mizzou’s spring game on April 14.
Surgery for Franklin’s injury, which was not included in the original diagnosis, will be on Friday and exactly when the quarterback will be cleared to throw again remains to be seen.
“We’re disappointed for James naturally,” said coach Gary Pinkel in a statement. “But this is absolutely the right thing to do, and we all know he’ll be in great hands, as we have the best doctors and trainers in the nation. James has an outstanding work ethic, and he’ll be able to get past this setback just fine.
“We expect him to be 100 percent and ready to go for the season. Until then, our younger guys will benefit from more reps and more work with the number one offense, and we’ll look at that as a positive.”
This isn’t the worst possible scenario for Mizzou, but spring practice reps are invaluable and what kind of rust Franklin develops between now and September could affect how quickly Mizzou jumps out of the gates and into its first season in the SEC. Outside of the season-opener against Southeastern Louisiana, there really aren’t any cake walks through the first month. Mizzou hosts Georgia and Arizona State before going on the road to South Carolina and UCF.