Merry Flipmas in the ‘Sip! 4-Star Oak Grove QB Anthony Maddox commits to Ole Miss after decommitting from A&M
OXFORD, Miss. — Merry Flipmas! Four-star, 2024 Oak Grove (MS) High School quarterback Anthony Maddox, Jr. committed to Ole Miss on Saturday after decommitting from A&M on Friday.
Maddox had been committed to the Aggies since last February; however, with the recent coaching and staff changes he decided it was time to look at other opportunities. The Maddox family is no stranger to the the twists and turns of the recruiting trail. Anthony’s father, Anthony Maddox, Sr., played at Delta State on the defensive line with a teammate Rebels know well — current defensive coordinator Pete Golding. The elder Maddox also played in both the NFL and CFL
Anthony’s younger brother, Andrew Maddox, is a 4-star in the 2025 class but is carrying on the defensive line genes in the family. Andrew is the No. 86 overall player in 2025, No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 3 in the Magnolia State.
Ole Miss has also extended an offer to the youngest of the bunch, Andrae Maddox, who is currently in 8th grade.
There’s no question that the Golding Effect, along with the allure of the offense of Lane Kiffin, would be a couple of the components attracting the Maddox players to think about keeping their talents home in the ‘Sip.
Ole Miss hosted Anthony Maddox and his family last weekend, December 8, for an official visit, and on the 15th he announced his decommit from A&M.
The Rebels also had to fend off Louisville and Miami who were also interested in the talented QB.
On Saturday, Maddox took the reins as the QB for Team Mississippi during the annual MS/AL All-Star game at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the Southern Miss Campus.
During this week’s All-Star practices, Maddox quickly became quite the buzz with his performance. But when it was all said and done, Maddox decided he would join the buzz around Ole Miss and enter one of the best quarterback rooms in the country.
In fact he is already looking the part and connecting with future fellow Rebel Noreel White during the MS/AL practice.
Nice pocket movement by Texas A&M QB commit AJ Maddox, stepping up to hit Ole Miss WR commit Noreel White at AL-MS practice https://t.co/0FZU7Hk4f9 pic.twitter.com/jsShGbQsvE
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) December 13, 2023
The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder stands as the No. 28 quarterback in the nation and the No. 13 player in the state of Mississippi’s 2024 class as ranked by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Index.
During his junior campaign he helped lead Oak Grove to a 10-3 finish on the season, one in which they made it to the second round of the Mississippi 6A playoffs. That season, he completed 183 of 295 pass attempts (62 percent) for 2,198 yards with 20 TD to go against 3 INT. He also rushed for 347 yards and a TD.
From last night: Oak Grove’s A.J. Maddox (@Anthonymaddoxjr) and PJ Woodland (@iamprentiss) share thoughts on @ogwarriorsfb 33-28 MHSAA 7A state title win over Starkville: pic.twitter.com/r590zthH3M
— Michael Chavez (@MikeSChavez) December 3, 2023
He closed out his high school career leading Oak Grove to a 33-28 win over Starkville to earn the MHSAA 7A State Championship. He went 15 for 20 for 162 yards and one TD in his final game. He indeed will leave a heck of mark in Hattiesburg where he accounted for 3,346 passing yds, 515 rushing yds, and 43 touchdowns.
1Q 1:11| AJ Maddox keeps it himself and scores on a 4-yard run.
Oak Grove 14, Meridian 0 pic.twitter.com/Mvx6gUWBZI
— PineBeltSPORTS (@PineBeltSPORTS) November 18, 2023
Once again, Lane Kiffin and his staff are keeping another top in-state talent at home.
We look forward to seeing such great talent continue to blossom here in the Sip. Merry Flipmas, Y’all!
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.
