PhillyGirl
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http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2014/10/2/6874767/who-in-the-heck-is-robert-nkemdiche
He's big. He's quick. He has a scary last name. ("Nkemdiche" may be the Nigerian word for "terrifying.") Will Bama's offensive line man up and keep the young lion in check? Or will Nkemdiche and Company buoy the Rebels to their first victory over Bama since the Eli Manning Era?
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Robert Nkemdiche. Not only is that Verne-inhibiting name scary from the standpoint of spelling and pronunciation, but it also happens to be the name of fear for SEC quarterbacks who must find a way to keep the freakishly athletic Ole Miss defensive tackle in check this season.
Who in the heck is Robert Nkemdiche (pronounced "kim-Dee-chee")? Well if you don't know by now, you most certainly have taken up domicile beneath some rock formation or other. The highly-touted number 1 recruit (consensus) of the 2013 signing class had strongly considered a tenure at the Capstone before spurning Alabama to join his brother, linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, on the other side of the state line in Oxford. Certainly, we've all heard the story of how his heart was with Bama, but under substantial pressure from his family members, he decided blood was thicker than crystal in a Kouandjio-karma-redux.
Recruiting drama aside, there's good reason that the younger Nkemdiche was so highly coveted. The 6'4", now-280 pound behemoth has size and athleticism that in recent memory can only be matched by South Carolina (sometimes) player Jadeveon Clowney, now with the NFL's Houston Texans. In his freshman season, Nkemdiche (who wears number five) proved he was indeed a man among boys physically, though it took some time for the defender to settle into the college game...and all of the hype that goes alongside it.
Now a sophomore, Nkemdiche is up to speed, and he is part of a Rebel defense that statistically finds itself in the top 5 nationally. Sure, the Ole Miss defense is loaded. I could have selected any one of a handful of players to represent the best that the Rebel D will put on the field against Bama in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday afternoon. But Nkemdiche is a special kind of freak, and against Bama, he could be the drop that causes the dam to break in favor of the oft-ill-fated Rebels, a team with only nine wins against Bama in the history of the series.
Who in the heck is Robert Nkemdiche?
In a word, he is a nightmare. He haunts the dreams of SEC offensive linemen. He is Grendel wrapped up in the body of Adonis, a physical specimen in both his size, his fitness and his muscle mass. At 6'4" and 280 pounds of lean muscle, it's easy to see why the Ole Miss defensive staff moved him to the tackle position after initially giving him a look at end. Coming out of Grayson High School in Loganville, GA, Nkemdiche was the most coveted defensive prospect since Clowney, and his presence is similarly being felt across the conference.
Looking at Nkemdiche, it is hard to wrap one's head around the fact that he only just turned 20 years old. Nkemdiche came in a little heavier than his current weight in his initial 2013 campaign, weighing in at about 300 pounds at the start of fall camp. But don't let that weight fool you, as teammates said that from the start, they were in awe of the young player' physicality.
Defensive end C.J. Johnson said he was simply amazed by Nkemdiche.
"I've never seen anybody who's 295 pounds, and they can breathe and you can see every ab that he has...It's unreal...(this season) He looks way different...He's going to be hard to block. I don't know if one person is going to be able to block him. He's just so freakishly big and strong and fast. It's really hard to put it into perspective how good he's going to be."
Fellow 2013 blue-chipper, Ole Miss sophomore left tackle Laremy Tunsil said Nkemdiche left quite the impression during their initial meetings on the practice field.
"When I say he bull-rushed me, oh man...I felt all 310 [pounds] just coming at me, full of muscle, six-pack and everything. I was like, 'I see why he's No. 1.' I've never seen somebody so explosive coming off the ball in my life."
All of that physical talent began to come to fruition late last season, as Nkemdiche adapted to the pace of the game and the hype that had surrounded his coveting as a high school blue chip recruit. By season's end, the son of Nigerian-born parents appeared on nearly every freshman All-American and All-SEC squad put to paper. Nkemdiche played in 11 games last season for the Rebel defense, starting along the defensive line in 10 of them. As he became more comfortable with his role and the speed of the game, his stats began to improve. He was second on a solid Rebel defense with eight tackles for loss, in addition to recording 34 tackles (25 solo, nine assists), two sacks and two passes defended.
The performance (and quite frankly, his measurable) in 2013 was enough to propel Nkemdiche into the spotlight in 2014, as he was named to Lindy's and Athlon pre-season All-American rosters, and made damn near every All-SEC list (Athlon, Phil Steele, Birmingham News) as a first teamer. Coming into the season, he was rated as the nation's ninth ranked defensive tackle (Lindys) and the SEC's third ranked DT by espn.com.
Accolades are great and all, but has Nkemdiche proven on the field that he has an even better grasp of the Ole Miss defense in 2014? That point can be argued, but Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said since shaving weight, the tackle is even more dynamic than he was before.
He's big. He's quick. He has a scary last name. ("Nkemdiche" may be the Nigerian word for "terrifying.") Will Bama's offensive line man up and keep the young lion in check? Or will Nkemdiche and Company buoy the Rebels to their first victory over Bama since the Eli Manning Era?
--------------------------------------------------------
Robert Nkemdiche. Not only is that Verne-inhibiting name scary from the standpoint of spelling and pronunciation, but it also happens to be the name of fear for SEC quarterbacks who must find a way to keep the freakishly athletic Ole Miss defensive tackle in check this season.
Who in the heck is Robert Nkemdiche (pronounced "kim-Dee-chee")? Well if you don't know by now, you most certainly have taken up domicile beneath some rock formation or other. The highly-touted number 1 recruit (consensus) of the 2013 signing class had strongly considered a tenure at the Capstone before spurning Alabama to join his brother, linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, on the other side of the state line in Oxford. Certainly, we've all heard the story of how his heart was with Bama, but under substantial pressure from his family members, he decided blood was thicker than crystal in a Kouandjio-karma-redux.
Recruiting drama aside, there's good reason that the younger Nkemdiche was so highly coveted. The 6'4", now-280 pound behemoth has size and athleticism that in recent memory can only be matched by South Carolina (sometimes) player Jadeveon Clowney, now with the NFL's Houston Texans. In his freshman season, Nkemdiche (who wears number five) proved he was indeed a man among boys physically, though it took some time for the defender to settle into the college game...and all of the hype that goes alongside it.
Now a sophomore, Nkemdiche is up to speed, and he is part of a Rebel defense that statistically finds itself in the top 5 nationally. Sure, the Ole Miss defense is loaded. I could have selected any one of a handful of players to represent the best that the Rebel D will put on the field against Bama in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday afternoon. But Nkemdiche is a special kind of freak, and against Bama, he could be the drop that causes the dam to break in favor of the oft-ill-fated Rebels, a team with only nine wins against Bama in the history of the series.
Who in the heck is Robert Nkemdiche?
In a word, he is a nightmare. He haunts the dreams of SEC offensive linemen. He is Grendel wrapped up in the body of Adonis, a physical specimen in both his size, his fitness and his muscle mass. At 6'4" and 280 pounds of lean muscle, it's easy to see why the Ole Miss defensive staff moved him to the tackle position after initially giving him a look at end. Coming out of Grayson High School in Loganville, GA, Nkemdiche was the most coveted defensive prospect since Clowney, and his presence is similarly being felt across the conference.
Looking at Nkemdiche, it is hard to wrap one's head around the fact that he only just turned 20 years old. Nkemdiche came in a little heavier than his current weight in his initial 2013 campaign, weighing in at about 300 pounds at the start of fall camp. But don't let that weight fool you, as teammates said that from the start, they were in awe of the young player' physicality.
Defensive end C.J. Johnson said he was simply amazed by Nkemdiche.
"I've never seen anybody who's 295 pounds, and they can breathe and you can see every ab that he has...It's unreal...(this season) He looks way different...He's going to be hard to block. I don't know if one person is going to be able to block him. He's just so freakishly big and strong and fast. It's really hard to put it into perspective how good he's going to be."
Fellow 2013 blue-chipper, Ole Miss sophomore left tackle Laremy Tunsil said Nkemdiche left quite the impression during their initial meetings on the practice field.
"When I say he bull-rushed me, oh man...I felt all 310 [pounds] just coming at me, full of muscle, six-pack and everything. I was like, 'I see why he's No. 1.' I've never seen somebody so explosive coming off the ball in my life."
All of that physical talent began to come to fruition late last season, as Nkemdiche adapted to the pace of the game and the hype that had surrounded his coveting as a high school blue chip recruit. By season's end, the son of Nigerian-born parents appeared on nearly every freshman All-American and All-SEC squad put to paper. Nkemdiche played in 11 games last season for the Rebel defense, starting along the defensive line in 10 of them. As he became more comfortable with his role and the speed of the game, his stats began to improve. He was second on a solid Rebel defense with eight tackles for loss, in addition to recording 34 tackles (25 solo, nine assists), two sacks and two passes defended.
The performance (and quite frankly, his measurable) in 2013 was enough to propel Nkemdiche into the spotlight in 2014, as he was named to Lindy's and Athlon pre-season All-American rosters, and made damn near every All-SEC list (Athlon, Phil Steele, Birmingham News) as a first teamer. Coming into the season, he was rated as the nation's ninth ranked defensive tackle (Lindys) and the SEC's third ranked DT by espn.com.
Accolades are great and all, but has Nkemdiche proven on the field that he has an even better grasp of the Ole Miss defense in 2014? That point can be argued, but Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said since shaving weight, the tackle is even more dynamic than he was before.
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