Ole Miss' Treadwell considering return for senior year

Daniel Paulling | The Clarion-Ledger

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NEW ORLEANS - Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell came to Ole Miss with the intention of leaving for the NFL within three years, the earliest he could go.

Now, the junior is considering staying despite being projected as a first-round pick.

“If I do get that specific feeling, that gut feeling I should leave, I’ll go with that,” Treadwell said. “But nothing is drawing me away from school, nothing is telling me to come out this year. After the bowl game, I’ll go home and see what I’m feeling, see what my family’s feeling.”

The No. 12 Rebels (9-3, 6-2 SEC) play No. 16 Oklahoma State (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) on Friday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

Tight end Evan Engram recently decided to return for his senior season after NFL teams told him he needed to continue developing, but he said he also wants another opportunity to compete for a Southeastern Conference championship. The Rebels have never played in the SEC Championship Game.

Treadwell said he wanted to have another chance to reach that game but also would like to be a part of a team he believes could perform well next season.

“A lot of guys next year will be, I feel, more hungry because they have a chance to build their name up and create a pride for themselves,” Treadwell said. “I think this year just motivated the team a lot more and seeing that we’re really a step away from getting to that SEC championship.

“I just think the team will be different. I think it’ll be a better chemistry on the team. It’s a lot of things that would help us win if a lot of us came back.”

Earlier this month ESPN football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rated Treadwell as the best wide receiver and the 17th-best player overall potentially available in next April’s draft. Mock draft after mock draft has projected Treadwell to be taken in the first round, perhaps within the top 10.

It’s something he’s noticed.

“It makes it just as hard not to go,” Treadwell said. “You love the guys that you’re around, you want to take care of your family at the same time. It’s really tough. It’s a really tough decision.”

His decision to come to Ole Miss was much easier.

Treadwell was the top-ranked wide receiver in 2013, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rating, and held offers from many elite programs. However, he decided to play for Ole Miss, which had gone just 13-24 over the previous three seasons, because he wanted to create his own impact.

“I had a vision I wanted to be different,” said Treadwell, wearing a black Chicago Bulls hat turned backwards Monday (Treadwell is from Illinois). “That’s something you dream of as a kid, as an athlete, just building your brand and creating your own legacy, being a Michael Jordan or something like that.

“It’s nothing against the other kids that go to other schools, but it’s only a select few that think like that. A lot of times you go to programs that keep you under their name of the whole school.”

The Rebels went from 7-6 to 8-5 in Treadwell’s first season before consecutive nine-win seasons the past two years. They are one of five teams to play in consecutive New Year’s Six bowls.

Part of the success stems from what Treadwell has done.

He caught five touchdowns in each of his first two seasons before setting career highs in receptions (76), receiving yards (1,082) and touchdowns (eight) this year. Treadwell has set four school records this season and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

“If he gets singled up, he’s going to make a play for you,” offensive coordinator Dan Werner said. “It makes it easy for a quarterback coach to tell your quarterback, ‘Look, forget all your reads. If he’s singled, throw it to him.’ It’s not that simple, but it’s close.”

Whether he decides to leave early or not, Treadwell has seen the impact he and his teammates, especially those who joined him in the 2013 recruiting class, have made on the Rebels.

“I think our record speaks for itself,” Treadwell said. “The overall message that’s out there about the Ole Miss team, we’re going to play anybody anywhere, we’re not afraid to play anybody anywhere. Talent continues to come in in the recruiting classes.

“Once we get a couple more guys that see they can go out and do their own thing and just want to be different, it’ll just spark the program even more.”

Contact Daniel Paulling at dpaulling@gannett.com. Follow @DanielPaulling on Twitter.