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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’ 23-3 Week 8 victory over Texas A&M:
ROBERT NKEMDICHE, DL
Ole Miss might have learned its lesson about using Nkemdiche as an offensive weapon when the All-American defensive tackle was concussed carrying the ball in Week 7 against Memphis. As a result of that injury, Nkemdiche missed the game against Texas A&M, and he is considered day-to-day moving forward.
LAREMY TUNSIL, LT
This was Tunsil’s first game back after serving a seven-game suspension while under investigation by the NCAA, and his impact was felt immediately. The Rebels played one of their most efficient games on offense, and quarterback Chad Kelly looked as comfortable as ever against an Aggies pass rush that causes most teams fits. Without a doubt, Tunsil is still one of the best, if not the best, tackle in the country.
LAQUON TREADWELL, WR
Treadwell led all Rebels wide receivers with 102 yards and a touchdown on 5 catches. This was his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season and third in a row. Treadwell has also scored at least once in each of the last three games. His 20.4 yards per reception against Texas A&M was his highest of the season.
JORDAN WILKINS, RB
Starting running back Jaylen Walton had himself a nice day by rushing for more than 100 yards, but Wilkins provided some nice relief when he needed it and found some running room himself, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Wilkins finished the game with 42 rushing yards out of the Rebels’ 230 on the ground against the Aggies.
EVAN ENGRAM, TE
Engram enjoyed his best game of the season against Texas A&M, but the bar was set pretty low since he had been having a quiet season before Week 8. The Rebels tight end finished with 4 receptions for 35 yards and caught his first touchdown of the season against the Aggies. Perhaps this will spark a big second half of the season for a player that was considered one of the best in the country at his position last season.
QUINCY ADEBOYEJO, WR
Adeboyejo saw the most volume out of any of the Rebels wide receivers in Week 8. He led Ole Miss with 7 receptions and finished with 35 yards. On the season, he now has 27 receptions for 438 yards and 6 touchdowns in what has turned into an impressive junior campaign for the Texas native.
FADOL BROWN, DE
With Nkemdiche out, Brown had to really step up his game against Texas A&M, and he certainly did so. The junior defensive end recorded 4 tackles against the Aggies and was able to get in the backfield and disrupt the quarterback several times, finishing with 3 quarterback hurries.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
