The signing of Robert Nkemdiche, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, highlighted the best recruiting class in Ole Miss history.
LOGANVILLE, Ga. — In front of a national audience to kick off ESPNU’s coverage of National Signing Day, Robert Nkemdiche, the nation’s consensus No. 1 prospect, signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Mississippi next season.
“The recruiting process has been long, but I have enjoyed it,” Nkemdiche said live on ESPNU Wednesday morning. “After much discussion and prayer, I have decided to attend the University of Ole Miss.”
A lot of factors played into Nkemdiche’s choice of Ole Miss, which had long been the favorite for the 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end from Loganville, Ga.
“The fan base, the coaching, a team on the rise,” Nkemdiche said of what put Ole Miss over the top. “They were a good program to me, and I felt like a couple of different things could have changed the outcome of this season to three more wins, or four more wins.”
Nkemdiche said he knew Ole Miss was the place for him on his official visit the weekend of Jan. 25, when he was joined by fellow five-star prospects safety Antonio Conner, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who all signed with the Rebels on Wednesday.
“I felt like it was (the right place) when I did my last official (visit) down there,” he said. “I was just like, ‘All these other guys coming with me. We have a chance to do some real special things, so let’s go ahead and do it.’”
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze called Nkemdiche the “crown jewel” of the recruiting class and is excited to see how quickly he can be a difference-maker for the Rebels.
“His skill set is way beyond his years,” Freeze said. “He is that talented, and he will be an immediate impact player for us here at Ole Miss. We’re glad that Denzel is here and that their mom wanted them together.”
He joins older brother Denzel, a member of the freshman All-SEC team and All-SEC second team, who led Ole Miss with 82 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three interceptions from his linebacker position.
“The feeling right now is unreal,” Denzel said of Robert joining him at Ole Miss. “It’s really hard to explain. I’m glad it’s over. I wanted him to make the right decision that he wanted to make, and I wanted to him to feel comfortable with the decision he made because it’s going to be where he’s going to be for the next three years.”
As a high school junior, Robert Nkemdiche recorded 78 tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 18 sacks in leading Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., to a state championship. He followed up with 59 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks in his senior season.
“After he didn’t put up the type of numbers we expected during the regular season, I think we were all prepared to drop Nkemdiche from the No. 1 spot if he didn’t turn in a great week at (the) Under Armour (All-America Game),” said Woody Womack, Rivals.com Southeast recruiting analyst.
“But from the first rep of the first practice, it was clear that he was the best player on the field. Physically, he’s just at a different level in terms of size, and the speed and explosiveness that he has off the line to go with, it made him a nightmare matchup for offensive linemen all week.”
Ole Miss defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, who was the lead recruiter for Nkemdiche, described him not only as a game changer, but a program changer. Ole Miss defensive line coach Chris Kiffin, who also recruited him, agreed.
“We’re just so excited about his upside,” Kiffin said of Nkemdiche in his commentary on olemisssports.com. “He’s a dominant player. He’s going to come in and compete for a starting spot from day one. He’s a projected first-round pick already.
“And now, it’s my job to get him ready and get him to that next level, but right now, he’s coming in here to impact this team and help us build a championship defense.”
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