With spring practice just around the corner, the SEC’s coaching carousel is supposed to be still and silent by now.  But on Monday, somebody gave the thing another big spin.

Hours after it was learned that Tennessee would lose running backs coach and solid recruiter Jay Graham to Florida State, Ole Miss also took a hit.  And the Rebels also lost a good recruiter.

The New Orleans Saints announced late yesterday the hiring of Wesley McGriff, Mississippi’s cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator last year.  As a recruiter, McGriff led UM’s efforts in landing 5-star prospects Robert Nkemdiche and Laquon Treadwell.  Rivals.com named him as one of the 25 best recruiters in the nation for his work.

McGriff will serve as the Saints’ defensive backs coach.  Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze will now begin his search for McGriff’s replacement.

No one has made a bigger splash this signing day than Ole Miss.  But head coach Hugh Freeze isn’t hiding the fact that he had some strong connections to a number of hotshot players and that that made it easier to put this year’s class together:

“Obviously, we had some natural ins to some of the top players it the nation so I think that was very advantageous for us.  Certainly without those, would today be what it is?  I don’t know.  In addition to that our staff did a wonderful job of executing our 12-month plan. 

As Newsweek and Forbes Magazine and The Wall Street Journal all report about the great things about our campus, we just always felt like if we could get a group of top players here together on the same weekend and experience Ole Miss for what it really is that we would have a chance.”

He’s referring, in part, to the fact that top defensive end signee Robert Nkemdiche’s brother is already a Rebel.  Top safety signee Antonio Connor is a Mississippian who said he felt “more comfortable” playing in his home state.  Etc, etc.

Still, there have been many questions about Ole Miss’ meteoric rise into the top five of most major recruiting services’s rankings.  Freeze addressed those rumors a few days ago on Twitter.  He talked about them again today on ESPNU:

“We had a plan, we executed the plan, we did it with integrity within our staff as we went out.  Anytime that’s being attacked I want to respond to it… Certainly, if there’s something going on out there that is against what we stand for I would like to know it.  Instead of just because we’re upsetting the apple cart — so to speak — and doing something that hasn’t been done, that’s part of our sale point.  ‘Let’s do something together that hasn’t been done.’… It’s unfortunate that people can say whatever they want.  And if they have facts, we’d love to hear ‘em.”

And there you have it.  If there are any facts to back up the claims of wrongdoing at Ole Miss, the Rebels’ head coach says he’s all ears.  If there aren’t, then the fact remains that Mississippi has just had one helluva recruiting haul.

The Letter of Intent from defensive end Robert Nkemdiche is officially signed (properly), sealed, and it’d been delivered to Ole Miss officials.  Dunzo.  Congrats to the Rebels on landing the nation’s top prospect.

Ole Miss has gotten off to a tremendous start on National Signing Day.  But the day hasn’t been perfect. 

The #1 player in the country — Robert Nkemdiche who announced he would go to Mississippi early this morning — filled out part of his Letter of Intent incorrectly.  UM officials have sent him another letter to fill out correctly.

No biggie, but Rebel fans want Nkemdiche signed, sealed, and delivered.  As soon as possible.

The nation’s number one football prospect is headed to Ole Miss. Robert Nkemdiche made the announcement just moments ago on ESPNU.  The defensive end from Loganville, Georgia will join his brother, Denzel, a linebacker for the Rebels. He had also considered LSU and Florida, making a visit to Baton Rouge this past weekend.  We’re off and running on National Signing Day with Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels having the first big catch of the day.

SEC Football

1. The nation’s number one recruit is at LSU this weekend.  Robert Nkemdiche met Shaq during the visit.  Here’s the picture.  

2. It’s official at LSU. The university’s board of supervisors approves Les Miles’ new pay package - $4.3 million annual salary represents a 15% increase.  He’s signed through 2019.

3. Not everyone is happy about the raise.  LSU associate librarian: ”LSU is known nationally as a football team, not as an institution of higher learning.”

4. Texas A&M made the hire of linebackers coach Mark Hagen official on Friday.

5. South Carolina defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney tweeted a few weeks ago “two more years of college” - but it’s not fooling coach Steve Spurrier. ” I think he’s just trying to get the fans to love him a little bit more. That’s not the smart thing for him to do. He knows that.”

6. Tennessee’s 2012 recruiting class is known for its attrition.  But what’s left could have a big impact on 2013.

7. Mississippi State guard Tobias Smith granted sixth year of eligibility by NCAA.  Hasn’t decided if he’ll come back in the fall.

8. What Gus Malzahn should be selling at Auburn.

9. When you rank the SEC signing classes by NFL draftees - here’s your top 10 of the past ten years.

SEC Basketball

10. On the eve of the Super Bowl, Georgia coach Mark Fox recalls his time at Nevada with quarterback Colin Kaepernick and why he wants running back Todd Gurley at practice.  ” I told Gurley: ‘You run over people for a living, you need to come over here and go practice the charge drill.’ ”

11, The SEC used to be an up-tempo run-and-gun league.  No more.  “A 54-53 game was once unthinkable. Now, it’s routine.”

12. SEC winning percentage against non-conference opponents is 66.6 percent – the worst since the league started tracking it.

13. Kentucky’s Archie Goodwin on Texas A&M’s Elston Turner’s performance at Rupp: “(A) guy that scores 40 on a team as good as we are, that’s just an embarrassment to our team. We shouldn’t let that happen. I can’t wait to play him because I know that I’m not going to let it happen again.”

14. Turner: “I know I’m not going to have 40 again. But it’s going to be a great game.”

15. Florida guard Kenny Boynton on facing Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson: I heard he’s a good scorer. I’m not worried. We’re going to come ready to play.” Keep your eye on the Scott Wilkebin-Marshall matchup.

16. Auburn coach Tony Barbee on Missouri: “They’re probably the most complete team in the league.”

Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Ill., has committed to Ole Miss.

The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver according to ESPN chose Ole Miss over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

“The recruiting process was something I took very seriously, but had a lot of fun with,” Treadwell said, according to ESPN. “I took my time in the process so I could make the right choice for myself.”

Treadwell’s interest in Ole Miss was strengthened by the presence of former Crete-Monee standout Anthony Standifer, who plays defensive back for Ole Miss. He signed with the Rebels last February.

Treadwell’s commitment is the start of what’s expected to be a strong finish to the class of 2013 for Ole Miss. The Rebels are recruiting several highly-touted prospects, including the nation’s No. 1 prospect, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga.

“I wanted to be a part of something special,” Treadwell said. “The program is on the rise with the new coaching staff. (Coach Hugh Freeze) is changing the culture and I want to be a part of changing the Rebel culture.”

Ole Miss has 21 commitments for the class of 2013.

Ole Miss is the new leader for wide receiver Laquon Treadwell from Crete, Ill.

Ole Miss number 1 on my list #HottyToddy no doubt in my mind that they are..

— Laquon Treadwell (@SuccessfulQuon) December 4, 2012

This news follows Treadwell’s official visit to Ole Miss last weekend. And it comes at a time while the Rebels are making a strong run at No. 1 overall prospect Robert Nkemdiche, a defensive end from Loganville, Ga.

Treadwell’s recruitment still has a ways to go. He will likely take all five official visits, with Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame remaining in the mix.

Other schools will continue to pursue Treadwell and try to convince him to visit before he signs with a school.

Defensive end Robert Nkemdiche has decommitted from Clemson, according to his high school coach.

Loganville (Ga.) Grayson High School coach Mickey Conn told 247Sports Nkemdiche decommitted from Clemson on Sunday.

“It was a family decision he made with his mom and dad,” Conn said.

The preference of Nkemdiche’s mother has been well established. She wants her son to play at Ole Miss along with his brother, freshman linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche.

Robert Nkemdiche, who plans to be in Oxford this weekend to watch Ole Miss host Vanderbilt, denied he had decommitted from Clemson when contacted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday night.

“Nothing final yet,” he said via text message.

Not even close, it seems.

Robert Nkemdiche is still committed to Clemson.

But the star defensive end from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., doesn’t know where he’ll go to school.

RebelGrove.com reported Wednesday night that Nkemdiche had decommitted from Clemson. Nkemdiche said he was still committed to Clemson when reach by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution but admitted his recruitment is far from over.

“Nothing final yet,” he told the AJC via text message.

Nkemdiche plans to visit Ole Miss this weekend to watch his brother, Rebels freshman linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, play Vanderbilt. Ole Miss has continued to make a strong push for Robert Nkemdiche, who denied rumors that he plans to change his commitment this weekend.

“No, that’s not true,” he said. “You know how they do with rumors and everything on the Internet.”

Nkemdiche’s mother, Beverly Nkemdiche, has made it clear to several Internet sites she wants her sons to play together at Ole Miss.

“I don’t want a case where they have games in two different states, and I will be running around like a rooster, or not go to one (game),” she told the AJC last week. “Every parent would really want that. It’s my wish for it to happen, but I’m not going to put pressure on anybody. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, OK. But I would really love for them to play together, as well as have the power of two – where two people  come together and play as one.”

Meanwhile, it’s appearing less likely Robert Nkemdiche will play football at Clemson.