OXFORD — Mississippi’s stunning recruiting class included the nation’s consensus No. 1 overall recruit, one of the top receivers and one of the best offensive tackles.

The Rebels had such a good day that even LeBron James was impressed.

“Ole Miss ain’t messing around today,” the Miami Heat star wrote on Twitter.

Yes, it was quite a day for an SEC program that’s usually an also-ran on the field and in the recruiting rankings, where they soared to No. 5 on ESPN.com and No. 7 on Rivals.com, spots normally reserved for teams like Georgia and LSU.

But Wednesday Coach Hugh Freeze and the rest of the Rebels were the talk of the college football world.

The 28-man class centers on Robert Nkemdiche, a 6-5, 260-pound defensive end from Loganville, Ga., who was the No. 1 recruit in the country according to Rivals.com, Scout. com, ESPN, CBS Sports and 247Sports.

He’ll be joined at Ole Miss by receiver Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill.) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla.), forming the foundation for a consensus top 10 class nationally.

“The biggest vision we have is to do something new and fresh,” said Freeze, who is going into his second year at Ole Miss. “To convince a group of young men to come together, want to be different, and to do something different and fresh at a place that might not be the norm. To upset the apple cart, so to speak.”

Nkemdiche, Tunsil and Treadwell are all five-star recruits according to Rivals.com. The Rebels also landed nine four-star recruits, including safety Antonio Conner of Batesville, Miss., and offensive tackle Austin Golson of Prattville, Ala.

Nkemdiche had been on several programs’ wish list for more than a year, but family ties gave Ole Miss the inside track. His brother Denzel Nkemdiche plays for the Rebels and led Mississippi’s defensewith 82 tackles, including 13 for a loss, last season.

“I do think (this class) has the possibility of being a program changer,” Freeze said. “But it’s all on paper right now.”

Robert Nkemdiche went on an official visit to LSU last week, but he signed with the Rebels, donning a red Ole Miss hat after he made the announcement.

“I feel like it’s the right place for me,” Robert Nkemdiche said during his news conference. “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.”

Freeze led Ole Miss to a 7-6 record last season, improving from a 2-10 mark in 2011.

When Nkemdiche, Treadwell and Tunsil announced their decisions, the Ole Miss coaching staff celebrated. Freeze credited his assistant coaches and players for doing a great job selling the program throughout the year.

“I feel like he’s a good man, he’s special,” Robert Nkemdiche said of Freeze. “I feel like he’s a man of his word. I respect him a lot, and I feel like he has good things coming.”

Denzel Nkemdiche said he and his mother pushed hard for Robert to choose Ole Miss, but ultimately the decision was his. Denzel said his individual success at Ole Miss - along with the big improvement for the program this season - were important factors in Robert’s choice.

“The feeling right now is unreal,” Denzel Nkemdiche said from Robert’s signing. “It’s real hard to explain. I’m glad it’s over. I wanted him to make the right decision that he wanted to make and I wanted him to feel comfortable with the decision he made because he’s going to be where he’s going to be for the next three years.

“I’m glad he’s going to be there with me. I’ll be able to look after him and take some care of him and we’ll be able to win the national championship together.”

Sports, Pages 22 on 02/07/2013