Ole Miss Names Jake Schoonover as Special Teams Coordinator
OXFORD, Miss. — When there is vacancy on Lane Kiffin’s staff, you can bet it will not be open for long. The house that Kiffin is building is swiftly becoming THE place where not just the nation’s top athletes are making home, but also some of the nation’s best coaches.
Following the departure of special teams coordinator Marty Biagi to South Bend to join the Notre Dame staff in the same capacity, the Rebs didn’t have too far to travel to fill the vacancy. Ole Miss announced the hiring Wednesday of Arkansas State’s Jake Schoonover as the next special teams coordinator here in Oxford.
“We are excited to add Coach Schoonover’s special teams expertise to our staff. He has a great track record of success in both recruiting and special teams, and we look forward to elevating that facet of our program.“
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on Jake Schoonover
Jonesboro with Jones
While he only spent one season (2022) under Butch Jones at Arkansas State, Schoonover continued Jones’ strong emphasis on special teams.
In Schoonover’s one season with the Red Wolves, he helped A-State rank No. 35 nationally in kickoff returns (21.7 yards per return) and No. 34 in kickoff return defense (18.04 yards per return).
He also mentored true freshman kicker Dominic Zvada. A Lou Groza Award semifinalist and freshman All-American, Zvada broke the Sun Belt Conference single-season record by a true freshman for points by kicking in a season with 81, going 17-for-18 in field goal attempts in 2022.
Coach Schoonover also served as a defensive assistant which will be another asset as the Rebels have placed a great deal of emphasis on the return of a strong Landshark defense in 2023.
Swift Success in Lawrence
Schoonover joined Arkansas State after spending the 2021 season at Kansas as the Jayhawks’ special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach.
Under Schoonover’s direction, Kansas ranked second in the nation in kickoff return defense (12.7 ypr), 11th in punt returns (13.5 ypr) and 38th in kickoff returns (23.0 ypr). He helped the Jayhawks kickoff unit improve their national ranking from 127th in 2020 to second in 2021, while their ranking in punt returns led the Big 12 Conference and jumped from 128th to 11th during Schoonover’s lone season with the program.
Building in Bowling Green
Schoonover joined the Falcons’ staff in 2018 as the linebackers coach and eventually would serve as their special teams coordinator in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020.
During the 2020 season, his unit was second in the MAC in kick returns and ranked fourth in punt returns. The Falcons were also ranked fifth in field goal percentages and perfect on extra point attempts. In the same season under his direction, linebacker Darren Anders finished fifth in the MAC in tackles per game at 11.0 and named Academic All-MAC.
Setting the Standard In Illinois
Schoonover’s longest coaching stay was at Illinois State where he spent seven seasons helping the Redbirds build. He began his time in Normal as the linebackers coach in 2011 where he eventually added the special teams coordinator in 2013 to his coaching duties.
During his time there, he helped set the tone in a big way as far as linebackers, coaching middle linebacker Pat Meehan who went on to earn back-to-back first team all conference.
When it came to special teams, he also made an impact and helped mentor kicker Nick Aussierker who finished as Illinois State’s all-time leading scorer with 310 points.
Another notable player was 2014 punter CJ Laros who was named to the second team all conference unit. Laros averaged 40.6 yards per punt which was the 3rd best in a single season in school history.
Personal
Coach Schoonover played collegiately at Missouri Western State, where he started 30 games at linebacker and was a team captain. He played two seasons for the arena league Peoria Pirates as a linebacker and wide receiver.
Schoonover earned a degree in physical education from Missouri Western in 2008 and received a master’s degree in sports management with a concentration in administration in 2010 from American Public University. Schoonover and his wife, Katherine, have one son, Jackson, and one daughter, Kenley.
It is evident that no matter where he has made a coaching stop or the time he spends at a program that he is going to be an instant impact to teams and defense. He clearly has demonstrated under his direction that his units are going to produce immediate results and remain consistent across the board.
Welcome to the ‘Sip, Coach! Hotty Toddy!
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.
