Seth Franks

Tuscaloosa County's Seth Franks looks for a receiver against Mountain Brook during a game at Spartan Stadium in Mountain Brook, Ala., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014. (Dennis Victory/preps@al.com)

(DENNIS VICTORY)

Nick Saban last played quarterback at a competitive level as a senior at Monongah High School in West Virginia in 1968.

Despite leading Monongah to an undefeated season and a state championship, Saban's lack of size led to him being lightly recruited and having to settle for joining Kent State as a defensive back.

Saban referenced that experience Tuesday in Atlanta while discussing new Alabama quarterback Seth Franks, who recently accepted an invitation to join the Tide as a preferred walk-on.

"He's just a really good player," Saban said. "His size is probably a little bit of a factor that probably had something to do with how he got recruited. It's too bad. I had the same issues when I was in high school. It's too bad that's the case. But some guys are really able to overcome that and do a great job anyway. We just feel like he's a really good player and a fine young man and somebody that we're excited about having in the program."

Ranked by Rivals as a two-star prospect, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Franks threw for 20 touchdowns with just four interceptions as a senior at Tuscaloosa County High School last season, according to his coach, Lee Gibson.

Franks had four scholarship offers, he told AL.com during a phone interview.

The most prominent team to offer Franks a scholarship was Jacksonville State, an FCS program in Jacksonville that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"All of them were out of town, kind of a couple hours away. And each one I had to pay a little bit of money to go there," Franks said. "And being in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama is kind of the place to go, the dream team. And just looking at it, it's going to be about the same as far as price-wise, and it's right here in town. You can't beat that."

Franks competed in football camps at Alabama throughout high school.

"Coming in, I'm probably going to be at the bottom of the depth chart working on scout team," Franks said. "I'm just trying to get better and work my way up as far as playing. And you never know, maybe one day I'll be starting."