Offensive lineman John Wayne Oliver commits to Ole Miss: “I wanted to go to a school where I’m wanted the most”
OXFORD, Miss. — Offensive lineman John Wayne Oliver announced his commitment to Ole Miss Tuesday afternoon via Twitter.
Committed. #ComeToTheSip @Lane_Kiffin @CoachGarrisonOL pic.twitter.com/QTZm4TwTcu
— John Wayne Oliver (@JohnWayneOliver) June 20, 2023
Oliver, from Christ Presbyterian in Nashville, is rated as the nation’s No. 39 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 13 overall player in the state of Tennessee for the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Oliver helped his team rush for more than 1,900 yards and 28 rushing touchdowns this past season, en route to the offense amassing 4,015 total yards on the year. Christ Presbyterian lost to Lipscomb Academy in the Division II-AA state championship game.
Earlier this month, the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Oliver had named a top three that included Ole Miss, TCU and Auburn. He also held offers from Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Michigan, Miami, Kentucky, Memphis and Florida State, to name a few.
He spoke with The Tennessean and explained his decision.
“I made some great relationships at Ole Miss. I know a lot of the players there and I’ve always wanted to play in SEC and it’s four hours from home. That was important because of my family and the fact that my sister (Mary Taylor Oliver) goes to Mississippi State.”
OL commit John Wayne Oliver
He went on to talk further about choosing the Rebels, saying he knew it was Ole Miss after he made his official visit June 9-11.
“There were a lot of schools that wanted me to play guard. But coach (Lane) Kiffin will give me a chance to play tackle and that was big for me.”
John Wayne Oliver
Back in April, Oliver made an unofficial visit to Oxford and he told The Tennessean he liked what he saw from Coach Kiffin and staff.
“(Kiffin) is a real chill dude. When you see him on TV, it’s different. In person he was just real down to earth and I liked that and they’ve been recruiting me the most, since March. I wanted to go to a school where I’m wanted the most.”
John Wayne Oliver
Oliver is both wanted and needed in Oxford. He marks the 11th commit in the 2024 class, and is the third offensive lineman for Coach Kiffin and offensive line coach John Garrison.
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.



