Junior college transfer John Franklin III has been right in the thick of things for Auburn’s open quarterback competition this spring, holding his own against Jeremy Johnson and Sean White while earning substantial praise from his coaches and teammates.

And after Tuesday’s practice — the 12th of the year — he may have gotten one step closer to being named the Day 1 starter once September rolls around. According to defensive tackle Montravius Adams, Franklin is the “fastest” quarterback he has ever seen.

That includes names like Johnny Manziel and former Tigers QB Nick Marshall.

“Yeah, John Franklin is the fastest,” Adams told SECCountry.com. “He’s gotta be. I don’t know. I’ve been watching him practice, and we’ve had two scrimmages. When he gets to the edge … there ain’t nothing else.”

Adams, a senior, played against Manziel in 2013 as a true freshman. He also was Marshall’s teammate for two years while wearing an Auburn uniform.

Marshall ran a 4.54 second 40-yard dash during the NFL combine — the fastest recorded time by an Auburn quarterback in the history of the program.

“I think he’s faster than Nick,” Adams said.

Franklin spent the 2013 season backing up Jameis Winston at Florida State before transferring to East Mississippi Community College, where he split time in a two-quarterback system and ran for 451 yards while throwing for 733 yards and completing 58.2 percent of his passes last season.

As things currently stand, Johnson continues to get most of the first-team reps heading into the Tigers’ spring game this Saturday, April 9.