‘Program-changing player’ was trending to Auburn before U-turn
Kamarion Franklin, a “program-changing player” according to OutKick’s Grayson Weir, was trending towards the Auburn football program before a sharp U-turn led the Lake Cormorant product to stay in-state and commit to Ole Miss.
“In the days leading up to Franklin’s commitment, there was a sense that he was trending toward Auburn and Hugh Freeze,” Weir prefaced before saying, “Tigers fans were taking a victory lap before it was warranted. However, in the end, Franklin chose to stay home.
“Ole Miss’ Grove Collective and Realtree Camo played a big role in getting the job done. It was a huge recruiting win for Kiffin and the Rebels. Franklin is a program-changing player.”
Missed Auburn football recruiting target the headliner of Mississippi’s loaded 2024 high school class
Franklin is part of an elite 2024 high school graduating class according to Red Cup Rebellion writer “Whiskey Wednesday,” who dubbed the missed Auburn football recruit as the headliner of a group that may be superior to the state’s 2019 class.
“The state of Mississippi’s 2024 football recruiting class for the last couple of years has been earmarked as potentially the state’s strongest class since at least 2019, and perhaps beyond. The headliner of that 2024 class is, and has always been, Lake Cormorant defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin, who on Saturday made the call to commit to Ole Miss. Franklin is ranked as the #39 player in the country according to the On3 composite, the #7 defensive lineman, and the top player in Mississippi.”
Franklin’s commitment to Ole Miss was credited by “Whiskey Wednesday” to first-year Rebels defensive coordinator and ex-Nick Saban assistant in Tuscaloosa, Pete Golding.
“It’s becoming clear that Pete Golding is making a big difference in the kind of defensive talent Ole Miss is able to attract.”
Lane Kiffin got his guy, but in the modern era of college football, the second layer of recruiting is retaining a player for over a year and avoiding a flip. That is easier said than done for any program, even Alabama and Georgia as Hugh Freeze has shown this offseason.