UCF transfer cornerback Justin Hodges commits to Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football picked up its second defensive back commitment of the day Thursday as Central Florida transfer cornerback Justin Hodges announced his pledge to the Rebels via Twitter.
Committed !
Thank You God 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/gavbTcsThd
— ¹ OF ¹ (@Jhodges_02) May 26, 2023
Earlier in the day, Jadon Canady, a transfer from Tulane, also committed to Ole Miss.
Hodges entered the transfer portal in late April. In his career at UCF, he tallied 78 tackles, two interceptions, 16 pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.
In 2022, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native made 40 tackles and had two fumble recoveries, one sack and one interception.
Hodges will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
As a high school prospect, Hodges was a three-star who played for Western High School (Ft. Lauderdale). He was rated the No. 121 CB in the nation and the No. 226 player in Florida as ranked by the 247Sports Composite.
Hodges chose UCF over offers from: Washington State, Miami, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa State, Maryland, Louisville, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Rutgers, West Virginia, Syracuse, and South Florida.
Ole Miss reloading the secondary
The Rebels are looking to reload the Ole Miss secondary following the loss of starters Davison Igbinosun (transfer to Ohio State), Miles Battle (transfer to Ohio State), Braxton Myers (transfer to Purdue) and Tysheem Johnson (transfer to Oregon), so the addition of two defensive backs with the experience of Hodges and Canady is much-desired.
Ole Miss now has added six talented defensive backs via the transfer portal, as in addition to Canady and Hodges, they’ve signed: John Saunders (Miami, Ohio), Zamari Walton (Georgia Tech), DeShawn Gaddie (North Texas) and Daijahn Anthony (Liberty).
Moving on up
Ole Miss football is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation in the transfer portal for 2023 by 247Sports before the commitments of Canady and Hodges today.
Stay tuned for more info as it happens, because it’s likely the ‘Portal King’ isn’t done yet!
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Herring-Olvedo 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.
