Ole Miss adds four-star safety Travaris Banks; Red-hot Rebel weekend continues with coveted 2024 DB
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss continued a red-hot recruiting weekend as four-star safety Travaris Banks committed to the Rebels Sunday afternoon.
#COMMITTED @OleMissFB @CoachGolding @HHSPatsFootball @Rivals @On3Recruits @247sports pic.twitter.com/N8ewoQVd2y
— Travaris Banks (@BanksTravaris) June 18, 2023
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me the ability and strength to play a game I truly love. I would like to thank my mother (Shaquanda) for being supportive every step of the way though the ups and downs. I would like to thank my brothers (Jayden and Dylen) for always having my back and motivating me to go harder. I would like to thank my family and friends who have supported me over the years.
I would like to thank all the coaches and trainers who have coached me over the years. Robert Benson, who has been a father figure to me and has consistently motivated me over the years; Mike Vickery, who saw something in me as a freshman and has had my best interests at heart. I would like to thank Coach Jamie Mitchell and the entire Hillcrest Football Coaching Staff who’ve poured so much into me in such a short period of time. Donnie Lee and Trayshon Foster, who’ve invested countless hours in training me, and I would like to thank all the coaches who’ve recruited me. I would like to thank my past and current teammates (Patriots Nation).
Lastly, I would like to thank the entire Ole Miss coaching staff (Coach Kiffin, Golding, and Wes) for giving me the opportunity to further my education and play a game I love at the next level. #RebelNation #hottytoddy“
Banks joins Florida-flip Austin Simmons (QB) and Tennessee native Cameron Clark (linebacker) who also this weekend pledged to join to head coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.
Banks, from Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, had offers from top schools around the country, including: Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas A&M to name a few.
He was offered by the Rebels back in June of 2022 and took unofficial visits to Oxford when Ole Miss hosted Central Arkansas on September 10 and again on November 12 when the Rebels hosted Alabama.
The 247Sports Crystal Ball had indicated Banks would choose Mississippi State, but you just never know when it comes to recruiting — especially now with defensive coordinator Pete Golding at the helm.
Banks is the No. 10-ranked overall recruit in the state of Alabama for 2024. He’s also the number 13-ranked safety in the entirety of the nation as recognized by 247Sports.
Although the 6-foot-1.5-inch, 195-pounder has seen action on both sides of the ball in high school, his position at Ole Miss is expected to be safety.
Banks notched 42 tackles and six passes broken up as a junior, while on the offensive side of the ball he tallied over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns. He also shined on special teams.
💨💨💨 @BrockFlash1 @AL6AFootball pic.twitter.com/6CwxdJZtlY
— Travaris Banks (@BanksTravaris) October 30, 2022
@_SouthernXpress X @TDARecruiting pic.twitter.com/GMk8lnezBf
— Travaris Banks (@BanksTravaris) February 7, 2023
Fit in the ‘Sip
Banks has both quickness and speed and can change directions on a dime. He is a really good size and weight for the Ole Miss secondary. Look for him to add a little weight if he is indeed playing safety for the Rebs. He can also play corner. The young man is also adept at reading and reacting in the passing game, and as a result he has a knack for finding the ball.
Banks is the 11th member of the Rebels’ 2024 class of high school recruits.
Stay tuned as we bring you more recruiting coverage as things are heating up in the ‘Sip!
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.
