Rebels keep star DE Franklin home in Mississippi

• Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 19, 2023, 01:54 PM ET

Ole Miss and coach Lane Kiffin scored a big win Saturday as four-star protective end Kamarion Franklin ended up being the latest to join the fold by deciding to stay home.Franklin (No. 27 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300 ), from Lake Cormorant High School( Mississippi), becomes the highest-ranked recruit in the Rebels’class.He’s the 3rd in-state protective linemen part of

the class– joining Pascagoula High School defensive end Jeffery Rush(No. 134 total ), who devoted in March, and defensive tackle Kamron Beavers(No. 204 general), who committed in May out of Bay Springs High School.”I believe I ‘d fit in pretty good, like with the staff, the players

,” Franklin told ESPN.”I got to navigate them. I indicate, I’m [from] Hardy, Mississippi. So I suit respectable with the other Mississippi individuals.”He likewise considered Miami, Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State. In addition to taking a set of unofficial sees to Auburn– one in June and one in July– he took main visits in June to both Miami and Tennessee.Franklin and Rush are the second- and third-best players from Mississippi in this cycle, according to ESPN’s rankings.”[ There wasn’t] truly a great deal of stress and pressure to remain in state,”Franklin stated.

” You understand, I did whatever [was] the best circumstance for me.” In 10 games, the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Franklin set Lake Cormorant’s single-season school record with 19 sacks to opt for 93 deals with and 22 takes on for loss during a stellar junior season.”It’s great,” he stated. “It’s a stepping stone to what( I want to do at the next level), It’s a declaration saying what I can do. Obviously my 19 sacks [are] a big consider my play design. So it just says a lot about my pass-rush capability. “Mississippi ended up ninth in the SEC in pass defense( 218 YPG)last season while its 33 sacks lagged just Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama inside the conference.The Rebels have 4 ESPN 300 potential customers in their upcoming class: Franklin, Rush, cornerback Travaris Banks and Beavers. Mississippi’s 2024 class is 27th in ESPN’s newest team rankings.