The Pete Golding Effect: 5-star DL Kamarion Franklin commits to Ole Miss, Rebels have three of top-five ranked in-state recruits
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss made a giant splash in the 2024 recruiting cycle Saturday as Kamarion Franklin, the highly-coveted five-star defensive lineman out of Lake Cormorant, Mississippi, committed to ‘Stay in the Sip’ Saturday morning.
“Big Kam” Franklin
At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Kam Franklin has already shown scouts he can play on the edge and the interior defensive line at a high level. He burst on to the national scene in 2021, posting an insane sophomore campaign as a defensive lineman where he recorded 71 tackles, 11 sacks, 1 forced fumble and four interceptions. Yes, you read that right, a 265-pound lineman picked off four passes in a season.
🚨🚨BREAKING: 5-star defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin commits to Ole Miss!! #SipMadeSipStayed@MissKYUS2011 has more on the No. 1 recruit in the state of Mississippi. ⤵️ https://t.co/QW2cgROt9a
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 19, 2023
The Mississippi product did not waste time getting back to work his junior season, recording 93 tackles and an outstanding 19 sacks. The Rebel commit also returned a fumble to the house and blocked three kicks, and there’s not doubt he is a threat wherever and whenever on the gridiron.
Check out my Jr Season Highlights!!https://t.co/qJhNNqLAQf @nester_nick @coach_leeclark
— Kamarion“Big Kam”Franklin (@KamarionFrankl1) November 15, 2022
Heading into his senior season, expect more of the same from Kam. Behind this feared QB head hunter, Lake Cormorant has a chance to make noise this season in Class 6A .
The Pete Golding Effect
One simply cannot underestimate the effect of Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding in the recruitment of the state’s top athletes. Even though he had barely arrived in Oxford from Alabama in January, 2023, Golding wasted no time in recruiting for the 2023 cycle. He landed the top player in the state, five-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins.
On Saturday afternoon, Golding did it again, garnering a commitment from Franklin, the top player in the state of Mississippi and 30th overall for the class of 2024 according to 247sports.
Just how impactful has Golding’s recruiting actually been? The last time Ole Miss landed the number one player in the state prior to 2023 was in 2015 when the Rebs landed offensive lineman Javon Patterson. Golding has now landed the best player in the ‘Sip’ two years in a row.
Pete Golding, By Damn ‼️🦈#StayInTheSip pic.twitter.com/ja4yR4llpm
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 19, 2023
Ole Miss now has 20 commits total in the class of 2024 with half coming on the defensive side of the ball. It’s safe to say Golding has delivered in the areas of need for the Rebels since arriving in Oxford, and I do not expect him to stop here.
The Rebel defensive coordinator recently talked about about recruiting players in other states vs. the state of Mississippi.
“I think number one, to be honest with you, is the mentality. Having coached in Texas and recruited in Texas and things like that, they’re (Texas schools) starting a real program so much earlier and their facilities and the amount of staff and the resources that they have, a lot of those guys end up reaching their ceiling earlier. Then you got some of these guys in rural Mississippi at certain programs that don’t have a lot of staff, that don’t have great weight programs, not because they’re not good coaches, they just don’t have the resources to do it. When you get those guys with a high ceiling that aren’t there yet, they improve very quickly. I’ve always appreciated just south football, but Mississippi in general, because I think a lot of times you get a really raw athlete that loves football and is also appreciative… I think that mentality goes a long way and I think it carries over to defense, you know, that spot the ball mentality, put the ball down, we’re gonna play. I don’t care if it’s the parking lot, the playoffs, it doesn’t matter. It’s just who we are. I think for a lot of guys that’s ingrained in them in an early age in this state.”
Pete Golding on Mississippi football players
Golding getting the best in the ‘Sip to stay home
With Franklin’s commitment on Saturday, Ole Miss now has three of the top five players in the state of Mississippi according to the 247Sports Composite. In the four years from 2019-2022, Ole Miss only signed three TOTAL of the top five in their respective cycles.
The top-ranked Franklin is joined by 4-star defensive lineman Jeffery Rush, who is ranked No. 5 in the state and committed earlier this year in March, and 4-star lineman Kamron Beavers, ranked No. 3 in the state, who committed back in May.
The in-state talent pledging to the Rebs does not stop there. The other five commits from the Magnolia state are all within the top 30 players in the ‘Sip as well: IOL William Echoles (No. 21), WR Sanfrisco McGee (No. 22), Patrick Broomfield (No. 25), ATH Shamaar Darden (No. 27), and WR Jeremy Scott (No. 30).
Two of the top ten JUCO defenders in the state are also committed to the Rebs, both coming out of Jones Community College in Ellisville in Raymond Collins (No. 1 in MS and No. 3 in nation) and Cedrick Beavers (No. 3 at his position in-state and No. 8 in the nation).
As far as what to expect next, well keep an eye out on the 29th-ranked player in the country. EDGE Jamonta Waller is currently committed to the University of Florida; however, the Picayune, Mississippi native is currently crystal balled at 100% to Ole Miss.
Also, the No. 7-ranked player in the state is wide receiver Noreel White, who recently decommited from Arkansas. White is making his commitment announcement on August 25th, and he seems to be leaning towards Ole Miss.
The chess pieces in the ‘Sip seem to be falling in place for the Rebels as of late. Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all your recruiting and Ole Miss athletics info.
Hotty Toddy!
(Feature image credit: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal)
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
