James Franklin

WHEELING — The Ohio Valley Ironmen have signed their first player, and to no surprise, it is a quarterback.

The Ironmen have agreed to a contract for the upcoming summer season with 33-year-old James Franklin, who was a starter at the University of Missouri from 2011-13 and the MVP of the 2015 Independence Bowl after leading the Tigers to a 41-24 victory over the North Carolina, accounting for 274 total yards of offense and three touchdowns.

“I was looking for a guy that was capable of running my offense,” Ironmen General Manager/Head Coach Manny Matsakis said. “James is a very talented passer who can also run the ball effectively.”

When asked whether Franklin’s age was a concerning factor, Matsakes said, “No. He’s younger than the guy (Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks) I watched on TV Sunday Night. He’s healthy and in shape. You look at the average age of quarterbacks in the NFL and it is right around 33.”

According to Matsakis, Franklin is currently in Oklahoma working out in preparation for training camp in mid-May.

“He’s a wonderful person,” Matsakis added. “He is married and has three young children, so this was a family decision, as well. He and his wife looked up the Wheeling area and are very excited about coming here.”

The 6-2, 230-pound Franklin was the No. 4 rated dual-threat quarterback coming out of Lake Dallas High School in Corinth, Texas. He was also a member of the NFL’s Detroit Lions and the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders, winning a Grey Cup championship in 2015 with the Eskimos.

He retired from the CFL in 2021.

“That was right around when COVID hit and nobody knew for sure what was going to happen,” Matsakis said.

“The opportunity to play again piqued his interest,” Matsakis noted. “I’ve had tons of calls and emails from guys after we officially announced he had signed with us that either remember him or have looked him up on the internet and want a chance to play with him. It’s been unbelievable.”

As a freshman at Missouri, Franklin served as the backup to Blaine Gabbert, who left after his junior year for the NFL Draft where he was the 10th pick overall by Jacksonville.

As a sophomore in 2011, Franklin started all 13 games for Missouri, leading them to an 8-5 record. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,865 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also rushed 217 times for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns. Franklin led Missouri to a number of comeback victories, erasing a 14-point deficit against the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and a 10-point deficit against the Kansas Jayhawks. He also led Missouri to its first win over the Texas Longhorns since 1997.

His junior and senior seasons were plagued by injuries.

The Ironmen will compete in the 7-team International Football Alliance along with teams from Baltimore, Dallas, San Antonio, Chihuahua, Mexico, Tampa and Huntsville, Ala. Play begins this summer.

Matsakis said the contract is a standard 1-year deal for the league. No terms were disclosed.