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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’ Week 4 win over Vanderbilt:
ROBERT NKEMDICHE, DL
Nkemdiche’s 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave him three touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season. However his touchdown had more of an impact in this game because it broke a 13-13 tie in what was the Rebels’ tightest win of the season. Nkemdiche also added four tackles, including one for a loss, to his stat line.
LAREMY TUNSIL, LT
Tunsil was held out of this game due to an ongoing NCAA investigation regarding alleged contact between Tunsil and agents. This was the fourth game in a row that Tunsil was held out for this reason. Freeze has not yet said whether Tunsil will play in the Rebels’ fifth game against Florida and made it clear that he has nothing to do with the NCAA’s investigative process.
LAQUON TREADWELL, WR
Over the last two weeks, Treadwell has retaken his spot as the Rebels’ top wide receiver after getting off to a bit of a slow start this season. Against Vanderbilt, Treadwell hauled in eight receptions for 135 yards. He looks to have regained the form he had before his leg injury last season.
JORDAN WILKINS, RB
Wilkins didn’t have his best game in Week 4. The Rebels’ backup running back was only able to pick up 26 yards on seven carries against the Commodores. Other than an 11-yard run in the second quarter, Wilkins looked very mediocre in this particular outing.
EVAN ENGRAM, TE
Rebels fans are still waiting for Engram to have his breakout game this season after being one of the most effective tight ends in college football last season. He still hasn’t had that impact performance yet, but Engram did have some nice catches against Vanderbilt and finished the game with three receptions for 41 yards.
FADOL BROWN, DE
Despite not having a sack, Brown had one of his best games of the season against Vanderbilt. Brown had seven tackles against the Commodores, good for third on the team. He also made his presence felt by blowing up several plays in Vanderbilt’s backfield.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
