Missouri QB James Franklin was diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder Wednesday after tweaking it in practice trying to recover a fumble earlier in the week:
Injury update for James Franklin. Sprained right shoulder. Expect to get him back sometime during the spring, unsure of timetable.
— Chad Moller (@ChadMo1) March 14, 2012
The good news for the Tigers is that despite being only a sophomore, Franklin already has extensive experience in coach Gary Pinkel's spread offense, so missing spring practice time shouldn't set him back as much as would normally be expected.
After receiving spot snaps in 2010 behind future NFL first-round pick Blaine Gabbert, Franklin took over as the starter in 2011, completing 63.3% of his passes while throwing for 2,865 yards, 21 TD's and 11 INT's.
He also shined as a running threat, rushing for 981 yards and 15 TD's on 217 carries last year.
However, as Missouri makes the transition to the SEC, which is known for its more physical brand of defense, his shoulder injury is a concern, as opposing defenses will likely target it if it isn't fully healed by September.
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