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In 2013, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze brought four five-star and seven four-star recruits to Oxford for what was a historic Rebels recruiting class.
The quartet of five stars — defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive back Tony Conner — have all played crucial roles for Ole Miss the last two years. They’re now juniors soon facing the decision to return to school or enter the NFL.
But they aren’t the only members of the Rebels’ 2013 class that have become major contributors.
Former four-star quarterback Ryan Buchanan and former three-star quarterback DeVante Kincade both found themselves competing with Chad Kelly for the starting job this season. Although Kelly has been named the starter, Buchanan and Kincade both saw plenty of action in the Rebels’ first two games and could see more moving forward in certain situations.
Wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo and tight end Evan Engram were both three-star recruits out of the 2013 class that have emerged as starters and playmakers on the Ole Miss offense. Fadol Brown, unrated because he transferred from Florida International in 2013, is now an impactful starter on the Rebels’ stout defensive front.
As mentioned before, several players from this vaunted class will be playing on Sundays next year, while others return for their senior seasons. But regardless of which players do what, it appears this will be the 2013 recruiting class’ last season all together in Oxford.
As a result, we decided to follow the members of the 2013 class and how they play throughout the Rebels’ season by noting standout performances from them. Here’s how they did in the Rebels’ 27-19 Week 9 victory at Auburn:
ROBERT NKEMDICHE, DL
Nkemdiche didn’t have a monster game but certainly made his presence felt against Auburn. He finished the game with 4 tackles, 2 quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. This was the junior’s first game back after being sidelined last week with a concussion. He looked healthy and ready to go in Week 10.
LAREMY TUNSIL, LT
Since Tunsil’s return, Ole Miss’ offensive numbers have been up across the board. He continues to show why he is considered one of the best at what he does and will be a future first-round pick. Tunsil has elevated the level of play for the entire Rebels offensive line, which only allowed 1 sack in each of the last two weeks against Texas A&M and Auburn.
LAQUON TREADWELL, WR
Treadwell continues to shine since getting off to a bit of a slow start this season. He now has four straight 100-yard receiving games and has gone over the century mark in five of the last six weeks. Against Auburn, Treadwell finished with 7 receptions, 114 yards and a touchdown. It was Treadwell’s fourth week in a row finding the end zone, and he now has 6 touchdowns on the year.
EVAN ENGRAM, TE
Engram had the kind of game against Auburn that he’s been having all season. He finished with 4 receptions for 36 yards, which are pretty subpar numbers for a player that was expected to be one of the best tight ends in college football this year. He now has 22 receptions for 232 yards and 1 touchdown this season.
FADOL BROWN, DE
Brown helped Nkemdiche and the rest of the Rebels offensive line hold Auburn to just 3 yards per carry in Week 10. He also was disruptive in the backfield at times, recording 1 quarterback hurry. Brown finished the game with 3 tackles.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
