John Franklin III transferring out of Auburn

John Franklin III, the former "Last Chance U" star who landed at Auburn as a quarterback but moved to wide receiver this offseason, is transferring out of the program.

Head coach Gus Malzahn said Franklin expressed a desire to play more and play closer to home.

Franklin, a Plantation, Fla., native, spent the first two seasons of his career at Florida State. He left the Seminoles in 2015 and subsequently headed for East Mississippi Community College, where he became a focal point in the "Last Chance U" Netflix series.

After transferring back to the FBS level at Auburn, Franklin became part of a three-way quarterback battle with Sean White and Jeremy Johnson. However, he quickly faded out of the rotation, which lingered into the season, and spent most of the 2016 campaign on the bench.

Franklin has already graduated from Auburn, meaning he'll be eligible to play for any program in 2017 as a graduate transfer.