Two of the nation's top three players are heading to the SEC West. Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil announced Wednesday morning they will be heading to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Nkemdiche is the nation's top-ranked recruit and has been reported to be leaning toward Ole Miss. LSU and Florida made a late push for the Georgia product but it was the Rebels coaching staff who celebrated the big announcement. Nkemdiche's announcement was carried live on national television before 8 a.m. and set the tone for a big day in Oxford.
Ole Miss later received the national letter of intent of Tunsil to add to what was already one of the most impressive classes in program history. Things got better later in the morning when one of the nation's top safeties, Antonio Conner, announced he was also joining Ole Miss.
The key recruit for the Rebels, head coach Hugh Freeze conceded during an interview with ESPNU, was wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. Treadwell is one of the top wide receivers in the country, who committed to Ole Miss in mid-January. Since Treadwell committed to the program Ole Miss has received the commitments of Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Conner and four-star player Jordan Wilkins. Ole Miss has skyrocketed up toward the top of the class rankings as a result, reaching third overall according to 247 Sports after starting the day just outside the top ten.
The challenge for Freeze and his coaching staff now will be developing their incoming talent and getting them to both reach personal potential and gel together as a cohesive unit. College football has seen a number of head coaches put together a solid haul of talent but ultimately do little with it. Ole Miss still plays in a division with the likes of Alabama, LSU and a surging Texas A&M program. If Freeze and his staff can get this Class of 2013 to generate some results as early as this season, it may not be too long until Ole Miss is considered a legitimate threat.
Ole Miss can also start to build the momentum for the Class of 2014. The message has been made at Ole Miss. The Rebels are not messing around and are looking to collect pieces to build a championship contender.
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