Is the John Franklin III era about to begin in earnest at Auburn?

In two words, the answer should be: Why not?

For starters, let’s revisit Auburn’s quarterback play in 2015. The Tigers started the season with Jeremy Johnson at QB, but the junior threw six interceptions in his first three games before being benched for redshirt freshman Sean White. Johnson returned to the starting lineup for the final four games after White suffered a knee injury. Together, the two QBs combined throw for 2,230 yards and only 11 TDs.

Auburn’s defense wasn’t great in 2015, but those QB numbers are a major reason the Tigers finished just 7-6.

Which brings us to 2016. Franklin, whose signing by Auburn was made official on Wednesday, is a 6-2, 180-pounder who passed for 733 yards and seven TDs and rushed for 451 and nine scores as the second-string quarterback for East Mississippi Community College this past season. And in light of what Gus Malzahn said about Franklin on National Signing Day, it appears as if Johnson and White will be battling him for snaps.

“He’s going to get the chance to win the job. Our quarterback position is wide open,” Malzahn said.

Like former Auburn QB Nick Marshall, Franklin is a JUCO transfer with considerable athletic ability. When Marshall was running the Tigers’ offense in 2013 and 2014, Auburn averaged 39.5 points and 35.5 points per game, respectively. With Johnson and White taking the snaps in 2015, the Tigers managed just 27.5 points per contest, a downward trend that Franklin has definitely noticed.

“They say they don’t have a guy with my type of ability on the roster and what they’ve been missing with their offense is a little explosiveness,” Franklin said. “Hopefully I can provide that and help turn things around there.”

Franklin knows a little about what Marshall accomplished as Auburn’s QB.

Franklin, who spent the first two years of his college career at Florida State, mimicked Marshall on the Seminoles’ scout team as they prepared for Auburn in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

But Franklin’s connection to previous Auburn QBs doesn’t begin and end with Marshall. Like Cam Newton and Marshall before him, Franklin started his career at a major program and went to junior college for a year before eventually landing at Auburn.

Who knows? Maybe Franklin can emulate both Newton and Marshall by leading the Tigers to a national championship game in his first season as a starter. That may seem far-fetched, but Franklin is already displaying the confidence necessary to pull that off.

“Coach (Malzahn) told me he needed somebody and he got Cam (Newton), then he needed somebody and got Nick Marshall,” Franklin said. “Now he needs somebody so he came and got me. I’m just ready to go to work and earn my spot the right way and get the ball rolling with everything.”

Franklin will no doubt want to get that ball rolling with an incoming receiving class that Malzahn considers “tops in the country.” Between four-star wideout prospects Nate Craig-Myers, Eli Stove and Kyle Davis — along with three-star prospect Marquis McClain — Franklin will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, including returning receivers Marcus Davis, Tony Stevens and Jason Smith.

Clint Trickett, who recruited Franklin to EMCC and was his quarterbacks coach this past season, has given his former pupil a glowing endorsement.

“The strides that John has made since when he got here to the end of the season have been great and tremendous,” said Trickett, who played at Florida State and West Virginia before concussions ended his career in 2014. “At first, I was real worried, but he’s gotten better to the point now where I’m fully confident he’ll be a good SEC quarterback.”

According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Franklin – a three-star recruit who is considered the No. 1 JUCO athlete in the country, is the No. 4 prospect out of Florida and the No. 22 prospect overall. And considering Auburn’s struggles at quarterback last season with Johnson and White, it might be in the Tigers’ best interests to hand the reins to Franklin.

Based on Malzahn’s comments, the ballyhooed recruit should seemingly have every opportunity to win the No. 1 job in the spring or during preseason camp in August.

“John Franklin has got great speed,” Malzahn said. “We think he throws the ball well. He’s familiar with our offense, so we’re definitely excited about what he can do.”

Auburn’s fan base apparently should be as well.