Former running backs coach Kevin Smith returns to Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — It didn’t take too much time for Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin to get the old band back together, as they say, with Wednesday’s announcement that after just one year at Miami, Kevin Smith is returning to coach running backs in Oxford.
The Miami, Florida, native spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Rebels and previously served on Kiffin’s staff at Florida Atlantic.
“Coach Smith helped lay the foundation for the championship program that we are building here at Ole Miss, and we look forward to welcoming him back to our staff,” Kiffin said.
“His credentials as a running back and running backs coach speak for themselves. His return along with the return of Quinshon (Judkins) and our other backs builds some amazing excitement to see what levels can be reached at that position.“
Coach Kiffin on Kevin Smith
Welcome back to the 'Sip 🦈
Ole Miss officially hires Kevin Smith as Running Backs Coach
📰 https://t.co/cBTwMRYHVd#ComeToTheSip | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/pEFgdULHKz
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) February 15, 2023
On Monday it was announced that former Rebel running backs coach Marquel Blackwell is heading to College Station to join the Aggies in the same capacity. But, as is often the case, Coach Kiffin is ahead of the game as he brings in a former coach who will keep the momentum going in the the Rebels’ electric running backs room.
The timing for Coach Smith’s return couldn’t be better as Ole Miss gears up for both spring practice and the recruiting trail that is about to reopen in full force.
Smith’s success in Oxford
In his last season in Oxford, three of Smith’s running backs ranked in the top 25 of the Southeastern Conference in total rushing yards at the end of the regular season – Jerrion Early, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish. Ole Miss ranked No. 12 in the FBS in rushing yards in 2021, amassing 2,829 yards on the ground for an average of 217.6 per game.
Smith made an immediate impact at Ole Miss with the SEC’s leading rushing attack in 2020. Ole Miss averaged 210.6 yards per game on the ground to top the conference and rank 26th nationally.
Rebel running backs scored 19 touchdowns over the 10-game season. The sophomore duo of Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner accounted for 17 of those touchdowns with Ealy’s nine leading all Rebels and ranking sixth in the SEC. Under Smith’s guidance, Ealy earned second team All-SEC honors from Pro Football Focus.
Smith’s running back career
A former consensus All-American at UCF, Smith is no stranger to rushing records. The Miami native set 17 school rushing records at UCF, including an FBS single-season record with 450 carries and 13 100-yard performances in 2007.
After earning first team All-America honors his junior season at UCF, Smith was selected in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions in the third round. He went on to play five years for the Lions, amassing 17 rushing touchdowns while battling injuries during his career.
Coaching with Kiffin
Smith served as running backs coach for Kiffin at FAU from 2017-19, helping capture a pair of Conference USA titles. Prior to Smith’s arrival in Boca Raton, the Owls had tallied two seasons in which they had surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing mark as a team since the program started in 2001. Smith mentored the FAU running backs to three straight 2,000-yard rushing efforts.
Under Smith’s tutelage at FAU, Devin Singletary became the first running back in NCAA history to score 29 touchdowns in a season since Smith did it himself as a star at UCF. Singletary, whose 33 total TDs rank third all-time in single-season touchdowns, was named C-USA’s MVP in Smith’s first year at FAU.
The 2017 FAU running game ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing yards per game (285.3). The No. 6 national ranking was a jump of 45 spots from the previous year. Singletary and Kerrith Whyte, Jr. were both drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Rebels RB room
Smith should have no problem picking up where he left off at Ole Miss, and he will have another impressive running backs room to work with.
In addition to Judkins, the Rebels also have Ulysses Bentley and incoming 4-star running back Kedrick Reescano. Reescano, a New Caney, Texas native, will be another exciting freshman to watch Smith develop. In Reescano’s senior season, he rushed for 1,849 yards on 222 attempts for 31 touchdowns.
Smith graduated from UCF in 2015 with a degree in liberal studies. Smith and his wife Tisha have six children: Kevin Jr., Dennis, Kai, Dennisha, Summer and Paris.
No doubt the reunion in the ‘Sip will offer plenty of reasons for Rebels to cheer.
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann serves as the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She sees college football the way championship programs do—from inside the personnel room. Every evaluation, every roster move, every recruiting battle tells a bigger story about identity, culture, and how a program is built to win in December, not just July.
With more than 15 years covering the SEC and the national recruiting landscape, Herring-Olvedo has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected personnel-driven voices—blending film evaluation, roster construction, and long-term program vision through a true front-office lens. Her coverage of powerhouse brands like Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcatshas consistently gone beyond headlines, focusing instead on the blueprint behind winning programs: development, fit, culture, and recruiting strategy.
That foundation was formed early at Brown University, where she worked in player personnel and recruiting while competing as a student-athlete. Inside those recruiting operations rooms, she learned how elite organizations are truly built—through relentless evaluation, relationship building, projection, and trust in the board. Those experiences shaped the way she studies the game today: part scout, part storyteller, part architect.
Her analysis and reporting have appeared across major platforms including ESPN, NFL coverage spaces, USA Today Sports, and Saturday Down South. She also brought her personnel-minded approach to the airwaves as an on-air analyst for the Wake Up 502 College Football Show on Big X Sports Radio 96.1, where she became known for combining film-room detail with a wider understanding of roster identity and program trajectory.
In 2025, covering the rise of Houston Cougars football under Willie Fritz reignited the part of the sport that first drew her into football—the culture, the edge, the belief that a roster can reshape an entire city. That inspiration led to the launch of Coogs 365 Sports, a platform built to cover Houston athletics through a true scouting and recruiting lens while connecting the emotion of the game to the heartbeat of H-Town.
Now, Herring-Olvedo returns to The Rebel Walk where with an even deeper perspective shaped by years inside recruiting circles, national SEC coverage, and hands-on evaluation experience. Her return brings a familiar voice back to Ole Miss coverage—but with an evolved lens rooted in roster architecture, player development, and the modern realities of building championship-caliber football in the NIL and portal era.
For Herring-Olvedo, recruiting has never been about stars beside a name. It is about identifying competitors, projecting growth, and building a locker room capable of sustaining success. Her philosophy mirrors the best front offices in football: stack traits, trust culture, and never stop building.
