The nation’s No. 1 overall recruit announced Wednesday that he signed with Mississippi.
Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche will join his brother, defensive back Denzel Nkemdiche, at Ole Miss. He made the announcement at a nationally televised morning news conference at his high school in Loganville, Ga., on the first day that high-school players could sign national letters of intent.
“It was important for me to make a family decision,” Robert Nkemdiche said. “Those are the people who raised me and have always cared about me and always have my back. That was my parents dream, to see us play together. Who wouldn’t want to see their two sons playing together at the same school?”
Nkemdiche, a five-star recruit, was one of 24 commitments in the Rebels’ Class of 2013, which was ranked as one of the best in the country by multiple recruiting services along with SEC rivals Alabama, Florida and the Big Ten’s Ohio State.
Ole Miss also landed the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil of Lake City, Fla., and the No. 1 wide receiver, Laquon Treadwell of Crete, Ill.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Nkemdiche chose Ole Miss over LSU and Florida.
“I feel like it’s the right place for me,” Nkemdiche said. “I feel like they can do special things, and they’re on the rise. I feel like going to play with my brother, we can do something special.”
The Rebels did lose one previous commitment on signing day when defensive end Elijah Daniel of Avon, Ind., flipped to Auburn.
Ohio State was on the way to one of the nation’s top classes. Coach Urban Meyer raided SEC territory and landed five-star Vonn Bell, a 5-11, 180-pound safety from Georgia who chose the Buckeyes over Tennessee and Alabama. Meyer also went back to Florida, which he coached the Gators to two national championships, to grab wide receiver James Clark of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Continue Reading: Ole Miss lands nation’s top recruit on signing day
