He'll be joined in Oxford by the No. 1 offensive tackle in Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia), the nation's No. 1 receiver in Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill.), ESPN 150 offensive lineman Austin Golson and ESPN 150 safety Antonio Conner. They form the foundation for what could be the Rebels' best recruiting class.

Ole Miss is the 11th school since ESPN began ranking recruits in 2006 to get multiple top-five players, but only the fourth school to do it in the same season. USC did it in 2007, while Florida and Texas did it in 2010.

The Rebels also signed Nkemdiche's close friend and Loganville Grayson teammate David Kamara, a three-star cornerback, but missed out on ESPN 150 defensive end Chris Jones, who stayed true to his longtime commitment to Mississippi State.

"I feel like it's the right place for me," Nkemdiche said after his announcement. "I feel like they can do special things, and they're on the rise. I feel like going to play with my brother [Denzel Nkemdiche], we can do something special."

Ole Miss recovered from a disastrous 2-10 season in 2011 to finish 7-6 under second-year coach Hugh Freeze, including a win over rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl and Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

"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."

When Nkemdiche, Treadwell and Tunsil announced their decisions, the Ole Miss coaching staff celebrated.

Ole Miss doesn't have the pedigree to usually recruit toe-to-toe with the likes of Alabama, LSU and other Southeastern Conference powerhouse programs. But at least on paper, the Rebels might outshine their SEC opponents when signing day ends.

"I'm so thankful and blessed that these families have chosen to trust in us," Freeze said. "We'll treat these young men as our own."

Nkemdiche's choice marks a signature addition to what is shaping up to be one of the top recruiting classes in the country. He had offers from coast to coast and took official visits to Florida, Ole Miss and LSU before deciding to join his brother in Oxford. Denzel Nkemdiche, a defensive back, had a breakout season for the Rebels in 2012, leading the team with 82 tackles, including 13 for a loss.

Talk of Ole Miss landing Robert Nkemdiche began almost two years ago when the Rebels signed his brother, then a lightly recruited defensive back, in May 2011. After back-to-back 18-sack seasons, Robert emerged as the top prospect in the 2013 class.

Surprisingly, Nkemdiche committed to Clemson during an unofficial visit last June, citing a solid connection with the Tigers' coaching staff. It was apparent that he was excited about the opportunity to continue playing with Kamara, who had committed to Clemson while on campus with Nkemdiche the day before.

In July, Nkemdiche visited Ole Miss with Kamara while maintaining it was primarily just to see his brother. He would make two return visits in September to watch the Rebels play, with a visit to Clemson in between. It was during that month that his mother, Beverly, made headlines by stating her displeasure with her son's actions while she was out of the country.

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 Wednesday. "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."

Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (left) and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil were two of a handful of big-time players Ole Miss landed Wednesday. AP Photo, USA TODAY Sports

The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Tunsil chose Ole Miss over Georgia and Alabama.

"It really wasn't the official visit [to Oxford], to be honest with you," Tunsil said after announcing his choice in Lake City, Fla. "Me and [defensive line coach] Chris Kiffin had a relationship for about a year. He never gave up, he never gave up. I told him that Alabama was on top, then I told him that Georgia was on top, and he still didn't give up."

Conner (Batesville, Miss./South Panola), the No. 1 player in Mississippi and No. 24 prospect in the ESPN 150, picked the Rebels over Alabama and Mississippi State to extend Ole Miss' signing-day run of success.

"It's right down the road," Conner said in an interview on ESPNU. "I feel more comfortable playing in my home state. I want to do something to put Mississippi on the map."

Golson (Prattville, Ala./Prattville) had a tough choice to make: head to the SEC and one of the hottest programs around in Ole Miss, or stick with the team, Florida State, to which he had been committed for nearly two years. The Rebels won out.

In other developments on signing day involving top recruits:

Defensive linemen Adams, Daniel join Lawson at Auburn

Montravius Adams, the nation's No. 2 defensive tackle prospect out of Dooly County High School in Vienna, Ga., committed to Auburn.

Adams made official visits to Florida, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and Auburn over the past five weekends. He said early in his recruitment that he would like to leave the Peach State to continue his football career. Clemson appeared to be the early front-runner, as the Tigers' coaching staff was the first to offer a scholarship to the Under Armour All-American. More than 20 programs followed suit, but Adams chose Auburn.