4-star DL Kamarion Franklin sets official visit to Tennessee

Lake Cormorant (Miss.) four-star defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin will take an official visit to Tennessee on June 16. He announced the news on Twitter.

Franklin is the No. 33 overall prospect and No. 5 defensive lineman in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 1 player in Mississippi.

Tennessee currently sits with the second-highest odds to land the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The Volunteers stand with 19.7% chance to land a commitment from Franklin while Ole Miss sits with the highest percentage at 22.5%.

Jun 16🍊! @coachjoshheupel @coachg76 @VolFBRecruiting @Vol_Football @RivalsCole @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/ASnnZLaYbv

— Kamarion“Big Kam”Franklin (@KamarionFrankl1) April 15, 2023

It’s been a busy spring for Franklin who was in attendance for Tennessee’s spring game on April 15. He’s also visited Mississippi State (April 11), Alabama (April 10), Ole Miss (April 4), Florida (April 1), Miami (March 24), Louisville (March 20), South Carolina (March 18), Auburn (March 13) and Florida State (March 10) this spring.

“It’s a real big impact,” Franklin told On3 ahead of the visits. “Just to see how big a priority I am as a player and just spending time with coaches and really seeing the idea of how they want to use me in their defense, how they want me to fit their program.

“Next time I drop something, of course, it’ll be a top five or maybe a top eight. I’m really just trying to go through the process right now and see who will get visits from me.”

For more Tennessee recruiting intel, check out Volquest.

Franklin currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $185K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Tennessee picking up steam on the recruiting trail

Franklin’s decision to include Tennessee as one of his official visits is a huge plus for the Volunteers as it’s the first official visit he’s named.

Tennessee has been on a run on the recruiting trail the last two months. The Volunteers started 2023 with three commitments in its 2024 class but that number has quickly risen to eight.

Four-star safety Marcus Goree committed to Tennessee on Feb. 18 becoming the Volunteers first commitment since October and nine days later they landed a commitment from four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell.

Tennessee landed the gem of its class up to this point on March 30 getting a commitment from four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger. They would pick up a pair of commitments from three-star offensive tackles Gage Ginther and Jesse Perry a few days after Merklinger’s decision.