Kam Franklin (American football)

Last updated
Kam Franklin
No. 5  Ole Miss Rebels
Position Defensive end
ClassSophomore
Personal information
Born (2005-11-28) November 28, 2005 (age 20)
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight290 lb (132 kg)
Career information
High school Lake Cormorant
(Lake Cormorant, Mississippi)
College Ole Miss (2024–present)

Kamarion Franklin (born November 28, 2005) is an American college football defensive end for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Contents

Early life

Franklin is from Lake Cormorant, Mississippi. [1] He grew up playing football and attended Lake Cormorant High School, where he competed in football and basketball. [2] [3] He had began as a running back before switching to defensive lineman toward the end of his freshman season. [4] As a sophomore, he posted 71 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), 11 sacks and four interceptions. [5]

Franklin then was named Mississippi 5A Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, when he set a school record with 19 sacks and also tallied 93 tackles, 22 TFLs and three blocked kicks. [4] He then made 75 tackles, seven TFLs and four sacks as a senior in 2023, concluding his high school career with 225 tackles and 36 sacks. [1] [6] He was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game and the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game. [1] Franklin was ranked a five-star recruit, the top player in the state, one of the top-10 players at his position, and a top-50 player nationally. [7] He committed to play college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. [8]

College career

As a true freshman in 2024, Franklin was a backup to future NFL draft picks Walter Nolen, JJ Pegues, and Princely Umanmielen, finishing the season with 11 tackles, five TFLs and 2.5 sacks in seven games played. [9] With each of those players graduating the next year, Franklin saw more significant playing time in the 2025 season. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kam Franklin". Ole Miss Rebels.
  2. Cobb, David (August 19, 2023). "Ole Miss football recruiting: Five-star DL Kamarion Franklin, No. 30 player in 2024 class, commits to Rebels". CBS Sports.
  3. Wilcox, Wynston (August 12, 2023). "What makes Kamarion Franklin Memphis area's No. 1 football recruit? Handoff from mom started it all". The Commercial Appeal via archive.today.
  4. 1 2 Davis, Jordan (August 21, 2023). "Ole Miss football commit Kamarion Franklin has big goals for senior season". Clarion-Ledger via archive.today.
  5. Wilcox, Wynston (August 17, 2022). "Meet Kamarion Franklin, the No. 1 Mississippi college football prospect for Class of 2024". The Commercial Appeal via archive.today.
  6. Wilcox, Wynston; Chavez, Michael (December 2, 2023). "Who top Ole Miss football commit Kamarion Franklin is recruiting at MHSAA championships". Clarion-Ledger .{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Navarro, Manny (August 19, 2023). "Ole Miss recruiting: Rebels edge Auburn, Miami for top-50 DL Kamarion Franklin". The Athletic .
  8. Wilcox, Wynston (August 19, 2023). "Kamarion Franklin, a 4-star defensive lineman, picks Ole Miss football over Tennessee, Auburn". The Commercial Appeal .
  9. Katz, Michel (March 22, 2025). "With an expanded role on the horizon, Kam Franklin is 'getting better'". The Commercial Dispatch .
  10. Garrett, Ben (October 7, 2025). "Kam Franklin's 'work in the wait' has blossomed an SEC star" . On3.com .