Williams Nwaneri's Recruitment Heating Up, Kamarion Franklin Becomes That Much More Important
2024 five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri has been a top priority for the Tennessee Volunteers for months. The Vols have done everything they can to get him on campus and make a strong pitch, and they are still among the top contenders. However, reports indicate that Nwaneri is traveling back to Athens on an unofficial visit, just weeks after he was there for an unofficial visit. Volunteer Country has confirmed the report, and Tennessee must begin to prepare for the possibility that Nwaneri goes elsewhere.
Tennessee has been equally adamant in pursuing 2024 five-star defensive end Kamarion Franklin. Franklin stars for Lake Cormorant High School (Lake Cormorant, Miss.), where he set his high school's single-season record for sacks with 19 as a junior. He's got an NFL body type at 6-5 and 265 pounds and could play base-end for the Vols if he chose to play his college football in Knoxville. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner has spent many hours making Franklin feel important, enough to make this a three-horse race between Tennessee, Miami, and Ole Miss. He canceled a visit to LSU earlier this month, most likely eliminating the Tigers. Franklin has been to Tennessee and Miami on official visits this month and has seen Ole Miss twice on unofficial visits in June.
He's got a lot of positional versatility. Franklin could stay around 265 pounds and play a 5-technique or get closer to 290 pounds and kick down to a 4i or a 3-technique. College coaches aren't making any predetermination about what he will play in college - they might just let Franklin get on the practice field and see what works best for him. There's a lot of pass-rush upside to his game; Franklin bends the edge well and has the hand-fighting skill to capture it. He could still add a consistent signature pass-rush move, but there's plenty of time for that, and his assortment of tools already has him dominating the high school scene.
Kamarion Franklin, 2024 DE
Nwaneri may not be a Tennessee Volunteer, which is not the end of the world. However, they cannot miss on Franklin if Nwaneri isn't playing his college football in Knoxville. The Vols have wanted Franklin for a long time, but now they may not have an option but to land Franklin.
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