Why Ole Miss Freshman Kam Franklin Could be an Instant Impact Player

The Lake Cormorant product is days away from putting on for his home state at its flagship institution.

Kamarion Franklin, the No. 1 recruit in Mississippi, puts on an Ole Miss hat as he announces his commitment to Ole Miss football while wearing a shirt that says Sip Made Kam Stayed with the Ole Miss logo at Lake Cormorant High School in Lake Cormorant, Miss, on Saturday, August 19, 2023. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

After a fierce recruitment with Miami and Auburn, the Ole Miss Rebels landed one of the biggest 'sharks' to the boat in the Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss. Kamarion Franklin was one of the top prospects in the country, and Kiffin was obviously excited about his choosing of Ole Miss.

Franklin could be viewed as a "future piece" for the Rebels defensive line, but what if that future is now? What if Franklin could be a bigger piece of this defense than most believe, becoming a big-time player in his true freshman year?

Here are three reasons why Kam Franklin could be an instant impact player for the Rebels in 2024.

Buy-In

After Franklin made his decision to "Stay in the Sip," he graduated early and was scheduled to make an appearance at one of the big time All-American games, but he instead headed to Atlanta to be with his new teammates as the Rebels took on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Peach Bowl.

Franklin was on hand for one of the biggest wins in school history and one that has propelled the Rebels into rarefied air. This has to be a motivating factor for Franklin who has gone through summer workouts and now starts his first fall camp. This is all speculation, but these experiences will have young players thirsty for an opportunity to make an impact early, especially for players playing for their home state school.

Size

When Kiffin talked about his team looking different getting off the bus, he had to be thinking of guys like Franklin. Franklin has added some weight to his already monstrous frame and is listed at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds on Ole Miss' official 2024 roster. This puts him in the same ballpark of guys like Jared Ivey and Chris Hardie, players who are likely to see a lot of time at that strong side defensive end.

At 6-foot-5, Franklin has some crazy length and could be a monster of the edge or on the inside on a third-and-long situation when you want more pass rushers on the field.

The Randall Joyner Effect

Ever since Randall Joyner arrived in Oxford, he has seemed to get every ounce of intensity and effort out of his players. He took Jared Ivey and helped turn him into one of the better disruptors in the Southeastern Conference. I could see something similar happening to Franklin.

Give Joyner a camp season with him, and you could have a serious strong side duo with a rotation of Ivey and Franklin.

All these points could be moot if Franklin doesn't pick up the defense quickly, but remember when Suntarine Perkins had his coming out party in his freshman season last year in Tuscaloosa. I expect Franklin to have one of those type games.