Houston lands commitment from four-star OT Jamall Franklin Jr.

As the summer wound down, commitment was on Jamall Franklin Jr.’s mind — and it came seamlessly to the family-oriented lineman from The Boot.

Franklin, the On3 Consensus’ No. 23-rated offensive tackle in the country, pledged to Houston on Wednesday in front of a crowd of friends, family, coaches and teammates in his high school gym. The Baton Rouge (La.) Scotlandville four-star lineman who measures in at 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds picked the Cougars over the likes of Louisiana, Missouri, Tulane and Jackson State.

Houston surged toward the top with one of Louisiana’s best after a visit back to campus at the end of July. Soon after, a decision was on his mind.

“Houston was the choice for me because I love the culture of the program,” Franklin told On3. ”From the players to the coach there Is a realness of the program and how they embrace the grind.”

“Houston is also the fit for me is because of Coach (Dana) Holgorsen and his offensive scheme that he runs. Over the years, his offense is always high powered and effective.”

Franklin honored his grandparents with his college pledge to the Cougars. August 10 is his late grandfather’s birthday. Both of his grandparents motivate the four-star tackle, who leaned on his parents and other members of his family to confidently make his college pact.

“My family loves Houston,” he said. “The environment feels like home away from home. They trust the coaches at Houston to take care of me no matter the situation. My grandfather is one of the major reasons why I grind so hard the way I do and he is my why.”

Houston has been trending for the Baton Rouge tackle after a pair of summer visits to campus. Franklin still wrestled with the decision and followed his heart to being a Cougar.

“This decision was hard,” he said. ”It took many months and a lot of prayer and conversations with my family to make this choice. One of the major points was the consistency of Houston’s coaching staff; they were one of my first offers and they sticked with me all the way through since Day 1. Even through my surgery they remained loyal.”

Franklin is the nation’s No. 335 overall player in the country regardless of position, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.