Ole Miss' celebrated National Signing Day Class of 2013 lived up to the hype and then some. That was true before yesterday when wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches. All Treadwell did was break nearly every Ole Miss freshman receiving record and become the go-to receiver on a team already loaded with talented wide receivers. The No. 1 receiver out of high school definitely lived up to his billing. From OleMissSports.com:
A 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver from Crete, Ill., Treadwell exploded onto the college scene with a record-breaking rookie season. In addition to ranking third among SEC players with 5.6 receptions per game, Treadwell has shattered the Ole Miss freshman records for receptions (67), receiving yards (557) and touchdown catches (5) in a season.
He leads all SEC freshmen in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions, while he ranks fourth among freshmen nationally in receptions per game.
Treadwell's 67 catches entering the Rebels' Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl appearance are just 10 shy of the school single-season record. He established a school freshman record with nine catches in his Rebel debut at Vanderbilt and matched that total again in the regular-season finale at Mississippi State.
But Treadwell wasn't the only stellar freshman who played for Ole Miss this year.
Tony Conner was a force at husky. His first play from scrimmage as a true freshman was an interception in the opener against Vanderbilt, and Conner was playmaker all season. He'll be a leader in season 2.
Laremy Tunsil started at left tackle, arguably the most important position on the offensive line, charged with protecting Bo Wallace's blind side. We saw exactly how valuable Tunsil was in the Mississippi State game when he had to leave with an injured knee. The line wasn't as good without him.
Robert Nkemdiche, considered the country's top recruit a year ago, may have not had a Jadeveon Clowney kind of impact his freshman year, but he played very, very well and was one of the most valuable pieces of the defensive line. He'll only get better.
Evan Engram....all he did was earn 2nd team All-SEC honors at tight end despite missing the last third of the season with an injured knee.
I could go on and on....other freshmen made valuable contributions.
The point is that the future still looks very, very bright in Oxford. Treadwell winning SEC Freshman of the Year honors on Wednesday just drives that point home a little further.
Oh, yeah, and as an aside that shouldn't be an aside at all: Cody Prewitt was named a first-team All-American by USA Today on Wednesday! From the school press release:
Prewitt becomes the 55th first team All-America selection in Ole Miss football history and the 47th individual in program history to earn the honor. The Bay Springs, Miss., native is the first Ole Miss player to earn that status since Dexter McCluster and John Jerry in 2009 and the Rebels’ first safety to receive the accolade since Harry Harrison in 1973.
Prewitt has started 11 of 12 games at free safety and helped Ole Miss finish the regular season with a 7-5 record and a berth in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Prewitt’s six interceptions lead the SEC and are tied for fourth-most by any player in the country. He leads or shares the team lead with 70 tackles, six interceptions and 13 passes defended, while he also has 4.0 TFLs and two forced fumbles.
I'm really looking forward to 2014. Hopefully a good showing in the Music City Bowl will set the tone for the a great season to come.
Auburn, Florida State and Ole Miss all own the longest active bowl winning streak in the country at 5.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 11, 2013