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The Ole Miss 2013 recruiting haul broke at a strange time for me. I was leaving ESPN and I remember riding through Overtown in Miami, leaving the Matthew Thomas signing and racing to South Plantation to see what the heck was going on with Alex Collins.
While I’m riding and my best friend Fish is weaving through street traffic in Miami, I get a call from my buddy Dave Druda who wanted me to go on Tim Brando’s show and talk about this Ole Miss thing.
That day Hugh Freeze dared anyone who thought he was cheating to prove it. To this date no has stepped forward … although some whispers remain.
I’ll say this: After I met Freeze the first time, I was ready to play for him. The guy is a crafty recruiter and he knew he needed big names to compete in the SEC West.
He got big names. Here’s a look at the five-star recruits under Freeze:
2012
Channing Ward, DE: I watched Ward get three sacks at the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game and thought this kid was going to be the truth. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he was a four-year contributor. He played in all 52 games and had 110 total tackles with 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in his four-year career in a rotational role.
2013
Robert Nkemdiche, DE: Nkemdiche’s career numbers don’t blow you away — 98 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and seven sacks — but the guy fought through double and triple teams and completely changed the way many Ole Miss opponents played offense. Every year Nkemdiche he was some sort of All-American and All-SEC performer.
Unfortunately his college career ended with a thud as he fell out of a window in an Atlanta hotel. Marijuana was involved. But he was back playing sax at the jazz clubs later in the week. Nkemdiche seems like an interesting guy. He’s still a heck of a football player and a likely first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft despite the recent off-field troubles.
Laremy Tunsil, OT: Tunsil was the third player I missed out on when I was in charge of getting Florida prospects into the Under Armour Game. I actually had him ready to commit but his mom never budged. She wanted him in the Army game and mom gets what she wants.
Ole Miss wanted a franchise left tackle and they got what they wanted, too.
First time I saw Tunsil he was a sophomore blocking another five-star player — defensive tackle Tim Jernigan. Tunsil played in 29 games at Ole Miss, suffered a horrible broken leg in the 2015 Peach Bowl but was ready for the season opener … unfortunately the NCAA had questions about his involvement with an agent and he missed half the season. When Tunsil was on the field, he didn’t let much get past him — even Texas A&M star DE Myles Garrett. He also caught a touchdown in the Sugar Bowl this year. He declared for the 2016 NFL Draft and is a likely top 10 pick.
Laquon Treadwell, WR: Treadwell, a Chicago-area prospect, was probably the one recruit that really caught people by surprise. Treadwell was a Biletnikoff Finalist in 2015 — a remarkable feat given the horrible injury he suffered in 2014 against Auburn. Ole Miss really wasn’t the same after he went down but he was healthy enough to return in the spring. For his career Treadwell had 202 receptions for 2,393 yards and 21 touchdowns. He made All-American teams as a freshman and in 2015. Treadwell also declared for the NFL Draft and will likely be the first receiver off the board.
Tony Conner, S: The only reason Conner isn’t joining the other 2013 five stars in declaring for the draft is because a meniscus injury sidelined him for parts of the 2015 season. In 31 games, Conner has 152 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 8 pass breakups and two interceptions. He was a Freshman All-American in 2013 and a All-SEC second team performer in 2014. He is returning to school in 2016 to prove his health and raise his draft stock.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
