Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2024 Mississippi DL Kamarion Franklin

Josh Heupel and Tennessee football were making gains with defensive linemen over the Christmas weekend for 2024, which will be a big need for them by then. One of them is a Mississippi prospect from just outside of Memphis.

Kamarion Franklin, who hails from Lake Cormorant in DeSoto County, Miss., has the Vols in his top 10. A four-stat across the board on specific rankings but a five-star on 247Sports Composite, Franklin stands between 6’4″ and 6’6″ and weighs in the range of 255 to 270 pounds.

Joining Tennessee football on Franklin’s list are the Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, South Carolina Gamecocks, Miami Hurricanes and Michigan Wolverines. ON3 announced his list Saturday afternoon on Twitter.

Given his frame, Franklin seems more like a defensive lineman who would play on the edge. He is listed specifically as a lineman on 247Sports and ON3 but a strongside defensive end on Rivals and a defensive end on ESPN.

This is different from David Stone, a highly touted defensive lineman who had the Vols in his top 10 the day before. His profile leaned more towards defensive tackle. To be fair, both have somewhat hybrid skills, which Tim Banks’ system allows for.

Currently, there are no favorites to land Franklin on the Rivals Future Cast or the 247Sports Crystal Ball. The Rivals Fan Future Cast has Tennessee football as a plurality favorite, and ON3 has Ole Miss as a majority favorite with Alabama second, A&M third and the Vols fourth.

However, all four of those rankings are within 14 percentage points, so it could really go in any direction at this point. Franklin would be a great addition for the Vols, who need more depth in his role and will honestly just need more talent in general by 2024. Making his list is potentially a huge deal for UT.