A member of Notre Dame's interior defensive line is in the NCAA's transfer portal.
Junior defensive tackle Ja'Mion Franklin put his name in the portal Thursday afternoon, he announced on social media, confirming the news initially reported by Rivals' portal tracker. Franklin played in one game this year, the Sept. 19 win over South Florida, and made four tackles as a backup last season.
In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Franklin said he has decided to "take a step away from Notre Dame football to work on my mental health."
"This has been a very challenging year for all filled with much uncertainty," Franklin's statement read. "The trials and tribulations of battling COVID-19 and not recovering to the level I expected has clearly impacted me in a negative way. I have felt I lost control of my mental capacity, and I feel that I need to take time to gather and reevaluate myself. The process of rebuilding myself from the ground up is a much needed step in this stage of my life."
"I love the game of football and I have no doubt I will be back and better than I ever was, but for the time being I need to regain control over my life."
Franklin said he will be "looking for a fresh start when I resume my football career."
The 6-1, 310-pound Franklin began the season listed as Notre Dame No. 3 nose tackle on the depth chart, a spot he held for two games. On Sept. 28, amid Notre Dame's outbreak that forced a game to be postponed, Franklin tweeted he had the virus.
“Whoever thinks Covid is a hoax lmao lemme tell you it ain’t,” Franklin's tweet read.
Franklin did not appear on the depth chart released the week of Notre Dame's Oct. 10 win over Florida State and has not since. He did not appear to make the travel roster for the Oct. 24 game at Pitt.
Franklin was a three-star signee in Notre Dame's 2018 class out of Ridgely (Md.) North Caroline High School. He was the No. 34 defensive tackle in the class and originally committed to Notre Dame in June 2017, picking the Irish over offers from Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Northwestern, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Boston College, among others.
An injury limited Franklin to one game as a freshman, and he took a redshirt. He appeared in nine games in 2019, making a tackle against Duke, Navy, Stanford and Iowa State. He will have three years of eligibility left after this season because of the NCAA's blanket waiver that granted all fall athletes an extra year.
Notre Dame's nose tackle rotation consists primarily of starter Kurt Hinish and backup Jacob Lacey. The latter played more snaps than Franklin as a freshman last year.
This story has been updated.
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