Ole Miss Football: It's Now or Never for Rebels' Star Players

OXFORD, Miss. — One way or another, Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche knows that the end is near for his recruiting class.

It was only in 2013 that he headlined the top collection of incoming prospects in program history. Yes, he may only be going into his junior season, but Nkemdiche can already see and feel the window of opportunity closing.

For many, the National Football League looms ahead, with the lure of big-time money that will be too much to turn down.

So that makes this a now-or-never season.

“It does,” he said. “I don’t know who’s staying and who’s going, but I’m sure some people will be leaving.”

“I don’t know what the roster will be like next year, they might be better than us. But as of now, speaking in the moment, I feel like this is our chance to do something special.”

Going back to 2013’s national signing day, Alabama might have finished with the consensus top class, but Ole Miss stole the spotlight. With each major announcement that went the Rebels’ way, their coaches were shown celebrating on ESPN like they had won a crystal football.

SI.com used the word “historic” to describe the draft class and Ole Miss was even trending on Twitter, with LeBron James posting, “Ole Miss ain’t messing around today! Big-time recruits coming in. SEC is crazy.”

Afterward, 247Sports ranked the class No. 8 in the nation.

Year	Team Ranking
2012	46
2013	8
2014	15
2015	17
2016 (so far)	5*

Individually, it had Nkemdiche as the best player in the nation, with four others in the top 100 high school prospects: tackle Laremy Tunsil (4), wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (14), safety Tony Conner (32) and offensive lineman Austin Golson (94).

Prize tight end Evan Engram was in that signing class as well, though he was rated as a 3-star wide receiver.

Overall, Ole Miss claimed it had added 11 high school All-Americans, with Hugh Freeze declaring, “I think today has the possibility of being a program-changer” during his press conference.

Three years later, though, Ole Miss has yet to challenge for the West Division title and corresponding spot in the SEC Championship Game. Granted, it got off to a 7-0 start last season, highlighted by the emotional home victory over the No. 1 Crimson Tide, but the Rebels finished 9-4 and were pounded 42-3 by TCU in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

That only adds to the urgency.

“We finally got a taste of success and we came back to reality,” senior safety Mike Hilton said. “We know how good we are.”

That might be very, very good. At media days, however, Ole Miss was picked fifth in the media poll. Not in the SEC but the brutal West.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The thinking behind such a prediction was pretty obvious:

• No one’s sure who will be the quarterback and if that person will fare well during his first year as a starter.
• Ole Miss faded in 2014 in part due to the physical toll of the conference and injuries.
• The schedule.

Ole Miss has to play at Alabama, which will have revenge on its mind on Sept. 19 (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN), and at Auburn. It has to split those games—if not sweep them—to have shot at the division crown.

“Definitely,” Engram said. “We have no choice but to go in there and win. There are no if or ands about it.”

The team also has an extremely difficult final five games starting with Texas A&M on Oct. 24, followed by a road contest at Auburn and a home game against Arkansas on Nov. 7. LSU comes calling after the late bye week and, finally, it’s at Mississippi State for the Egg Bowl.

“It’s going to be a tough season overall," Hilton said.

But this is what the players signed up for and why the coaches were so excited on signing day. Additionally, with Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Treadwell and Conner considered essentially the top recruits at their prospective positions, they have a good chance of becoming premier pro prospects as well.

That’s something the program had been struggling with recently.

Since 2012, Ole Miss has had only three players selected in the NFL draft, and none in the first round. During that time span, the top selection was Senquez Golson in the second round (56th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It might have that many players in the 2016 first round alone.

"Our brand certainly has changed since I've been here, and nationally Ole Miss, we're a factor now, and we're not going away,” Freeze said. “We're going to continue to identify people that fit with our program, and we're going to continue to work our tail off every day to sell this brand in a positive light of what we can do for your son and the people that are involved in our program long after football, not just in between the lines.

“I do think that's kind of where we hopefully can separate ourselves somewhat. You've got to find your niche. You've got to be true to who you are.”

Quarterback issues aside, Ole Miss believes it has done this. It sees a team with unparalleled potential that could even challenge for the national title—something that Freeze has never brought up to his players before, but he did during the offseason.

“I think that he feels like we have the depth and we have the talent,” senior linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “If we all stay together and we stay healthy, we continue to protect the team and make the right decisions, we’ll have a chance to win a national championship.”

Regardless, the Class of 2013 will have a strong legacy. What this season will determine is if it’ll be better remembered for what it accomplished or its potential.

“The team has evolved, you know what I mean?” Nkemdiche said. “We’re at a different level right now.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.