Lake Cormorant four-star Jarcoby Hopson talks about his recruitment, top 10 schools
OXFORD, Miss. — Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels are looking to stay hot on the recruiting trail, this time in the 2025 class. Earlier this week, Golding drove an hour north near the state line to visit with Jarcoby Hopson Jr., a four-star safety/linebacker out of Lake Cormorant High School.
My guy stop by APPRECIATE!!!! @CoachGolding @RebelsFBRec @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/8eGLcAdaUB
— Jarcoby Hopson Jr (@JarcobyJ) January 29, 2024
Hopson, a highly-rated four-star on every major recruiting platform, caught the eyes of the top programs across the country, and the Rebels have been there from the beginning, having offered him in December, 2021.
Hopson has included the Rebels, along with LSU, Auburn, Michigan State, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi State, Penn State, and Miami, in his top 10 which he announced in December.
My guy stop by APPRECIATE!!!! @CoachGolding @RebelsFBRec @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/8eGLcAdaUB
— Jarcoby Hopson Jr (@JarcobyJ) January 29, 2024
We caught up with Hopson following his announcement of his top schools and asked him to share more about his recruitment.
“My top 10 was based on who is recruiting me the hardest, like calling and texting me every other day…also, I look at is it a great school for my major? And how do they produce linebackers? So now, it’s time to go to all of them this spring and see what’s next!”
Jarcoby Hopson
Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 205 pounds, Hopson is currently ranked the overall No. 5 player in Mississippi and the No. 20 linebacker in the country, as ranked by the 247Sports Composite Index.
Top in state athlete and ’25 priority Rebel target @JarcobyJ out of Lake Cormant getting things cooking on the gridiron . 👇 #RWRecruiting #SipMade #SipFactor https://t.co/pwgT8bLQHS
— LeeAnn Herring (@MissKYUS2011) August 27, 2023
While he is ranked as a linebacker, Hopson was pivotal on both sides of the ball in his junior season. Defensively he notched 79 total tackles, 56 of which were solo, 11 pass breakups and allowed zero touchdowns. Offensively, he tallied 162 passing yards, 766 rushing and 928 total yards for 12 touchdowns.
https://t.co/SJz2UtQrEO
Junior Season
*Offense
162 passing yards
766 rushing w
928 total yards
12 touchdowns
*Defense
56 solo tackles
23 assist tackles
79 total tackles
11 PBU
0 Allow Touchdown
@RivalsCole @ChadSimmons_ @samspiegs @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @nester_nick— Jarcoby Hopson Jr (@JarcobyJ) November 5, 2023
To make the Ole Miss connection even stronger, it’s worth pointing out that Jarcoby played his high school ball with early enrollee Kam Franklin, a premier edge out of the 2024 class who will likely see some playing time as a freshman this fall. Hopson was in Oxford to watch the Rebels play on a couple of occasions this past fall, joining Franklin in town.
Hopson talked about his relationship with defensive coordinator Pete Golding and recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bolden.
“Coach Pete and KB (Bolden) are some solid guys. I love how they are recruiting me. I think he (Golding) did a really great job in his first year, on the field and off the field with recruiting.”
Jarcoby Hopson
Hopson earned first-team honors for the 6A Region and participated in the 2025 Under-Armour All-American Game, and is on pace to become an all-state player in his senior season. Hopson is a player who will be fought over until signing day, but one well worth it.
For recruiting content and more, stay tuned to The Rebel Walk. Hotty Toddy!
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.



