We live in a world that is often cynical at worst and skeptical at best. It is hard not be that way when it seems the biggest sports heroes turn out to be liars, and crazy stories about fake girlfriends dominate the news cycle for more than a week.
So, it came as no surprise that before and during National Signing Day (when high-school football players officially commit to a school) that the University of Mississippi became a target of speculation. The Rebels had a huge haul on the one day when fax machines still matter to sports (recruits must fax their signed letters of commitment to their new school).
Ole Miss signed the top overall player in the country: defensive end Robert Nkemdiche. But the Rebels didn't stop there, adding the nation's top offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil, and the top wide receiver, Laquon Treadwell.
Most coaches would have loved to land just those three players--or just one of those three players--but Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze also added Austin Golson (the third-best offensive tackle prospect) and Antonio Conner (the second-rated safety prospect). Signing-class ranking varies depending on which website you happen to get your information from, but everyone highly ranked the Rebels class.
ESPN had Ole Miss with the fifth best signing class in the country. The Rebels class was so good, even NBA superstar LeBron James couldn't help but tweet about the players headed to Oxford.
By landing that many highly touted players, Ole Miss fell under a cloud of suspicion. Any time a college football program that is not a traditional power starts getting top recruits, the rest of the country starts to wonder why.
By no means am I saying Ole Miss, Freeze or the Rebels boosters did anything wrong during this recruiting season--but the world we live in makes us wonder. To be fair, Ole Miss had an in with Nkemdiche because his brother already plays for the Rebels and the school had ties to a couple of the other big recruits it landed.
Freeze says his recruiting class was the perfect storm, but others vaguely mentioned on Facebook or Twitter that it was the perfect payoff. Those claims have to be taken with a grain of salt without any proof out there, yet.
If Ole Miss did do something wrong, all it takes is one disgruntled former employee or recruit to bring everything to light. Or, something as simple as a tweet or Facebook post could blow open recruiting violations.
Personally, I want the best for every school in this state, but I have been burned too many times in the past (see: Armstrong, Lance or Paterno, Joe). I have to at least wonder, in the back of my mind, about the Rebels' big haul.
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