Ole Miss' heralded 2013 class is the one that raised so many eyebrows. Of their 27 signees, over 10 did not commit to them until January or February. That's not really uncommon. Until you look at who the players were and consider the happenings of a well to do Ole Miss booster at that time.
Let's examine it:
Prior to January 2013, Ole Miss had four commits rated as 4* by Rivals. One was a QB from Jackson Prep in Jackson, and another was a RB from Memphis. The other two were JUCO guys (Nick Brassell - previously kicked off team at Ole Miss, and Lavon Hooks).
In December 2012, Ole Miss booster Dickie Scruggs was freed from prison after appealing a ruling to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Here's a 2007 Wall-Street Journal piece about Scruggs legal issues. Here's the relation to Ole Miss:
It's no surprise that Oxford is rallying to Mr. Scruggs's defense. Oxford and the university have benefited immensely from the success of Mr. Scruggs, an alumnus of the "Ole Miss" law school. A music building at the university bears the names of Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs. In 1998 the couple pledged $25 million to help raise salaries of liberal-arts professors.
Mr. Scruggs moved to Oxford four years ago from the Gulf Coast town of Pascagoula, Miss. He earned hundreds of millions of dollars representing state attorneys general in a landmark, $206 billion settlement struck with tobacco companies in 1998. More recently, he has played a leading role in battling the insurance industry since Hurricane Katrina devastated Mississippi's coastline in 2005. The home he kept in Pascagoula was destroyed in the storm, along with the home of his brother-in-law, former Senate Republican leader Trent Lott, who is retiring from the Senate.
Going back to the recruiting class after December, these are the players that committed/signed.
Kailo Moore (4*)
Laquon Treadwell (5*)
Quincy Adeboyejo (4*)
Jordan Wilkins (4*)
Herbert Moore (3*)
David Kamara (3*)
Robert Nkemdiche (5*)
Marcus Robinson (3*)
Laremy Tunsil (5*)
Arshad Jackson (3*)
Austin Golson (4*)
Antonio Conner (4*)
Tunsil's recruitment was focused on three teams - Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. All of a sudden, he takes a trip to Oxford and decides that is the place for him.
Laquon Treadwell tweeted the below picture (we can't get too carried away since Dee Liner did the same).
Austin Golson was a FSU commit for over a year. He decides to flip to Ole Miss late in the process.
Antonio "Tony" Conner was seen as Bama's for months, but many expected his signature to be a tough pull out of South Panola.
Robert Nkemdiche originally committed to Clemson in the summer. He then decides he wants to reopen his commitment. He ends up signing with Ole Miss where his brother plays. However, word begins to spread that their father was offered a position at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
What attracts all those stars to a place with very little history, especially recent history, like Ole Miss coached by a guy entering his third season of FBS coaching with an overall record of 17-8?
