During Auburn’s bye week last week, it was revealed by Gus Malzahn (via 247Sports) that QB John Franklin had been working with the first-team offense.

As Malzahn said, “Last week we primarily worked [Franklin III] a lot with the ones, too, so you could see his role grow the second half of the season. I don’t want to give up our game plan, but like I said before, he’s going to be ready. He’s getting better.”

Thus far, starter Sean White has performed well for the Tigers — throwing for 1,187 yards and six touchdowns — whilst completing passes at a 69.7-percent clip.

But Franklin III has something White doesn’t have: world-class speed. Auburn’s seen it in glimpses, but Franklin III has yet to truly break out with his sublime athleticism. Franklin III does have an 11.4 yards-per-carry average on the season, but hasn’t been involved much in the passing game.

Hosting Arkansas this weekend, will Franklin III be a factor in this contest? Or, is this a bit of gamesmanship directed at Razorbacks’ head coach Bret Bielema?

We’ll find out on Saturday.