MEADVILLE &8212; It was a tough decision, but Marcus Tillman said it felt like the right decision.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive lineman from Franklin County signed with Ole Miss Wednesday morning as National Signing Day got under way in the Miss-Lou and Tillman ended what became one of the South&8217;s top recruiting sagas.

&8220;I&8217;m glad it&8217;s all over,&8221; Tillman said. &8220;It feels good.&8221;

Tillman originally committed to LSU eight months ago, but on Monday night he changed his mind and committed to Ole Miss after a visit to the Oxford campus on the weekend of Jan. 13-15.

The defensive lineman, who led the Bulldogs to the Class 3A South State title game in 2004 and the playoffs in 2005, picked Ole Miss over LSU and Alabama.

The addition of Tillman bolstered Ed Orgeron&8217;s first signing class at Ole Miss.

&8220;(Ole Miss) proved to me that they were making changes and were going to get better,&8221; Tillman said. &8220;I had a good feeling about it. I was up there two weeks ago. I was impressed (with their facilities), but it was the same everywhere.&8221;

With parents Carolyn and Robert Fleming and Franklin County head coach Grady McCluskey beside and behind him, Tillman signed.

Tillman said his parents were not surprised by his decision to choose Ole Miss Monday night.

&8220;We didn&8217;t know until the last minute what he was going to do,&8221; Robert Fleming said. &8220;I&8217;m happy for him. For a minute, we thought he was going to choose Alabama. I&8217;m very comfortable with his decision. I think he&8217;ll have that opportunity (to play football) at Ole Miss. I think they&8217;ll be in the top 10 in recruiting.&8221;

McCluskey supported the choice.

&8220;Ultimately, it was a family decision,&8221; McCluskey said. &8220;I hate that it went down to the wire. We&8217;re happy for him that he&8217;s going to a four-year university and play in the SEC and have fun.&8221;

The enthusiasm of Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron and his staff helped influence the decision, Tillman said.

&8220;When they&8217;re recruiting, they were all crazy and excited on the phone,&8221; he said. &8220;They do a real good job of recruiting. I had a better feel with the coaches.&8221;

Before taking the job at Ole Miss, Orgeron served as defensive coordinator at Southern California as the Trojans won back-to-back AP national championships.

&8220;He&8217;s also one of the top recruiters in the nation,&8221; Fleming said. &8220;We met with all their coaches, including the new ones, and they were very friendly. They were with us the whole visit. I would like to express my thanks to the (Franklin County) school system, the staff and all the coaches here at Franklin County High School.&8221;

Tillman also said playing time was another factor in picking the Rebels over the Tigers and the Crimson Tide.

&8220;Alabama and LSU were talking about third down,&8221; Tillman said. &8220;I&8217;ll get to play at tackle.&8221;

Four of Tillman&8217;s teammates also made signed Wednesday.

Cornerback Jonta Marshall, running back D.J. Shaw and linebacker Casey Hammack signed with Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Offensive lineman Emmanuel Mohammed signed on to play with the Jackson State Tigers. Mohammed picked Jackson State over Northwestern (La.) State, Co-Lin and Mississippi Valley State.

&8220;It&8217;s closer to home than Valley and Northwestern State,&8221; McCluskey said. &8220;He&8217;ll be going to playing with a new coaching staff. I think (new head) coach (Rick) Comegy will do a good job. I think it&8217;s a great opportunity to go to a four-year university and play in the SWAC.

&8220;We&8217;re happy for all of them to get a college education and hopefully play some ball somewhere,&8221; McCluskey added.

And if that wasn&8217;t enough, Franklin County defender Rich Scott, who was a part of the Bulldogs&8217; back-to-back Division 7 championship teams, signed a soccer scholarship with Co-Lin.