Ole Miss leaps into top 25 in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss picked up a huge recruiting win on Saturday, as Lake Cormorant (Miss.) four-star defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin pledged to the Rebels. He chose the in-state school over Auburn, Miami and Tennessee.

Franklin is a monstrous addition to the Rebels’ class, which now ranks five spots higher at No. 23 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder is the No. 39 overall prospect, No. 7 DL and No. 1 player in Mississippi in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Auburn was thought to be the heavy favorite coming into the week of his commitment, but as the time drew nearer Ole Miss continued to make noise. Franklin has taken eight trips to Oxford, and though it was Auburn that had the final visit at the end of July, Ole Miss defensive line coach Randall Joyner and defensive coordinator Pete Golding did enough to keep the lineman in-state.

“My relationship with coach Joyner, he keep(s) it real every time,” Franklin told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Every time we talk, he lets me know (what’s) real. I feel like he(‘s) a good coach, I feel like he knows what he’s talking about. I watched him coach, I sat and watched him do it.”

Ole Miss cracks top 25

The addition of Franklin pushed Ole Miss up five spots from No. 28, passing Purdue, North Carolina, UCF, Texas Tech and Stanford along the way. The class is No. 12 in the SEC, ahead of Mississippi State, Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Franklin is the headliner for the Rebels’ pledge list, which now features five four-star recruits. He’s joined by Bay Springs (Miss.) DL Kamron Beavers, Pascagoula (Miss.) DL Jeffery Rush, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Hillcrest safety Travaris Banks and Ellisville (Miss.) JUCO transfer linebacker Raymond Collins. There are now nine Mississippians in the class, making for an in-state rating of 47%.

In total, 11 of the 20 total commits are on the defensive side of the ball. Behind the aforementioned four-stars, Destrehan (La.) three-star safety Anthony Robinson, Clarksdale (Miss.) three-star cornerback Patrick Broomfield and Albany (Ga.) three-star EDGE Maurice Davis help make up the rising class.

Franklin is Ole Miss’ third commitment in August, joining McComb (Miss.) three-star wide receiver SanFrisco Magee and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain three-star tight end Dillon Hipp.