Ole Miss’ 2024 recruiting class received a big boost Saturday when Kamarion Franklin, a four-star defensive lineman, committed to Lane Kiffin and the Rebels. Here’s what you need to know:
- Franklin, from Lake Cormorant, Miss., is ranked No. 46 overall and the No. 8 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite.
- The top player in the state, Franklin picked Ole Miss over Tennesee, Miami, Auburn and Florida State.
- Franklin is the 20th overall commitment and the fourth blue-chip prospect in Ole Miss’ class that now ranks 24th nationally.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What is the significance for Ole Miss?
This was a huge in-state recruiting win for the Rebels, who made a strong late push behind coach Lane Kiffin, defensive coordinator Pete Golding, defensive line coach Randall Joyner and the other commits in Ole Miss’ class. Although Franklin didn’t make it on campus for an official visit, he made the 81-mile drive to Oxford from his high school a few times on unofficial trips. Now, Golding gets to pair Franklin with fellow in-state four-star defensive lineman Jeffery Rush (No. 183) of Pascagoula (Miss.) High.
How big of a loss is this for Auburn?
Most thought the Tigers had the inside track for Franklin until Ole Miss made its late push. The Tigers still have two blue-chip commitments on the defensive line in four-star edge rusher TJ Lindsey (No. 273 overall) of IMG (Fla.) Academy and four-star defensive tackle Malik Blockton (No. 435) of Pike Road (Ala.) High. Auburn is also still after four-star edge rusher LJ McCray (No. 129 overall) of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland and has pursued three-star defensive tackle Dimitry Nicolas (No. 544) of Miami Norland.
Where does Miami turn?
Coach Mario Cristobal made landing elite defensive linemen a high priority in the 2024 cycle and Franklin is just another example of one Miami was in the fight for and just missed out on. The others: five-stars Colin Simmons (Texas), Dylan Stewart (South Carolina) and Justin Scott (Ohio State). Franklin made it to Coral Gables four times on unofficial visits, including the final weekend in July to attend a team barbeque with other recruits.
The Hurricanes do have three blue-chip linemen in the class: four-star edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot (No. 64) from Chicago Kenwood Academy, four-star defensive tackle Artavius Jones (No. 148) from Blountstown (Fla.) High and four-star edge rusher Elias Rudolph (No. 303) from Cincinnati Taft, but would like to add more. Miami is still in the race for McCray and five-star defensive lineman David Stone of IMG (Fla.) Academy. Stone is announcing his college choice — between Miami, Michigan State and Oklahoma — next weekend.
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(Photo of Lane Kiffin: Stephen Lewis / USA Today)
