Robert Nkemdiche to Ole Miss: Twitter Weighs in as 5-Star DE Picks Rebels

Robert Nkemdiche has chosen Ole Miss, according to Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated. The coveted defensive end will immediately bring star power to the Rebels defense, but he better be ready to deal with the sky-high expectations.

"

Robert Nkemdiche "has decided to attend the University of Ole Miss."

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) February 6, 2013"

Nkemdiche is widely viewed as the top overall recruit in the 2013 class. He was given a 5-star rating by 247Sports, and he took the top spot in the outlet's composite ranking. The Georgia native was wooed by many elite programs, including Alabama and LSU, before making his choice.

As you'd expect, a commitment of this caliber caused an outpouring of messages on Twitter, even though it took place early on national signing day. But when you have an athletic, versatile pass-rusher capable of becoming a superstar, he'll attract attention at any hour of the day.

Let's take a look at some of the top messages following Nkemdiche's announcement. It's safe to say he got national signing day off to a roaring start as programs around the nation begin to hear from their top targets.

Jonathan Heeter of the Macon Telegraph calls it the most high-profile signing for Ole Miss since it landed a certain NFL superstar years ago.

"

The nation's top recruit Robert Nkemdiche is headed to Ole Miss. If guess most high profile signing in Oxford since Eli Manning. #nsd13

— Jonathan Heeter (@heets_tweets) February 6, 2013"

Nkemdiche illustrates the impact one top-ranked player can have on a class. Dari Nowkhah of ESPN reports his signing moved Ole Miss into the top 10 recruiting classes.

"

#OleMiss has just moved up to #9 in our ESPN Recruiting Rankings.Up from 12 to 9 with the Robert Nkemdiche commitment.#HottyToddy

— Dari Nowkhah (@ESPNDari) February 6, 2013"

Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports turns the attention to Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze, who definitely deserves a lot of credit for landing a player on Nkemdiche's level.

"

Nation's #1 recruit DL Robert NKemdiche just announced he's going to Ole Miss. Hugh Freeze stepping up big in Oxford.

— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) February 6, 2013"

The Ole Miss blog Rebel Nation is expecting a massive national signing day now that the Nkemdiche commitment is official.

"

With Nkemdiche to #OleMiss now a reality this day figures to be the best in Rebel recruiting history.

— Rebel Nation (@OMRebelNation) February 6, 2013"

Nkemdiche's brother, Denzel, was already at Ole Miss and sent out an enthusiastic tweet after the announcement was made.

"

The Nkemdiche Brothers are Back 🏈❤💙 Hotty Damn Toddy !

— Denzel Nkemdiche (@denzelnkemdiche) February 6, 2013"

The SEC continues to land the biggest names in the nation. ESPN Stats and Info reports Ole Miss' newest star is just the latest in a string of top recruits to choose the country's top football conference.

"

DE Robert Nkemdiche chooses Ole Miss, the 3rd top overall prospect in the past 4 years to go to an SEC school. #NationalSigningDay

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 6, 2013"

After watching Nkemdiche put on the Ole Miss cap at his press conference, the coaching staff went crazy, as shown by the picture in this tweet from Atlanta Sports Guy.

"

Ole Miss coaches EXPLODED when Nkemdiche committed and signed twitter.com/Atlantasportgu…

— Atlanta Sports Guy (@Atlantasportguy) February 6, 2013"

Ole Miss defensive line coach Chris Kiffin has plenty of reason to celebrate and passed along a simple message.

"

Boom!!!

— Chris Kiffin (@Chris_Kiffin) February 6, 2013"

Shea Dixon of 247Sports talks about the late push LSU made, which added some intrigue to the situation, but Ole Miss ended up keeping the edge.

"

The drama is over. Robert Nkemdiche has committed to Ole Miss. #LSU comes up short despite the final weekend press.

— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) February 6, 2013"

At the end of the day, ESPN's David Pollack thinks the presence of Nkemdiche's brother at Ole Miss was too much to pass up.

"

There are always outside factors that decide where kids sign.Nkemdiche's brother being @ Ole Miss seemed 2 b the biggest.

— David Pollack(@davidpollack47) February 6, 2013"

Regardless of why he made the decision, it's already a great day in Oxford.