Four-Star 2025 Safety Keon Young Commits to Lane Kiffin, Pete Golding and the Rebels: ‘I picked them because of the coaching’
OXFORD, Miss. — Like they say…when you know, you know. Count Keon Young, one of the top safeties in 2025, in that category. The 4-star talent arrived on the Ole Miss campus just a couple of days ago for his official visit with head coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebs, and by Sunday, what Keon saw was enough for him to pledge to make Oxford his home.
1000% Committed🔴🔵🦈!! @OleMissFB @CoachGolding @wesnab4646 @Lane_Kiffin @ChadSimmons_ @Andrew_Ivins @adamgorney @polk_way @DylanOliver23 @LHSDreadnaughts @CoachAgostino pic.twitter.com/E4fDcADbq0
— Keon Young (@KeonYoung55) June 2, 2024
The 6-foot-1, 171-pound defensive powerhouse out of Lakeland (Florida) High School currently stands as the the No. 22 overall safety in the country for 2025 and the No. 28 overall athlete to come out of the Sunshine state.
The Rebels continue to be hot on the recruiting trail. 4 🌟Safety @KeonYoung55 out of Lakeland (FL) wrapped his official visit with a commitment to the Ole Miss. @TheRebelWalk caught up with Young ! pic.twitter.com/zMdAmXHCUS
— LeeAnn Herring (@MissKYUS2011) June 2, 2024
Young boasts quite the offer sheet, before committing to the Rebels, holding tickets from well over 35 top programs.
When it was said and done, however, Ole Miss edged out programs like Texas A&M, Florida, Auburn, Mizzou, Louisville, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan State, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Oklahoma and Washington, to name a few.
Spring Football 2024 – #FLHSFB@LHSDreadnaughts 10
vs@JesuitTigers_FB 0
6:18 1QLakeland DB No.1 Keon Young @KeonYoung55 with a nice TFL for the Naughts!@H2Athletes @FlaHSFootball @polk_way @DylanOliver23 @Andy_Villamarzo @SBLiveFL @theledger @RoyFuoco @DanLaForestFB pic.twitter.com/hdnP2ZzcMt
— Hasani (H2) | Football Recruiting (@H2_Recruiting) May 18, 2024
Young is another monster addition for defensive coordinator Pete Golding on his side of the ball, to say the least.
We caught up with Keon following his commitment and he shared why he ultimately chose Lane Kiffin, Pete Golding and the Rebels.
“I picked them because of the coaching. I felt like this is gonna be the group to prepare me for the next level.”
Keon Young on choosing Ole Miss
Young has been as productive as they come leading up to his commitment to the Rebels, making quite a splash on one of the nation’s top 7v7 teams, RAW.
4 of the Nations top 20 Safeties (2025) in action at Battle Miami with @raw7v7 @FegansAnquon @begreat_mari @Drakestubbs1 @KeonYoung55 pic.twitter.com/TrWn13SBsQ
— PolkWay (@polk_way) January 28, 2024
Whether you have caught this talented ball-hawk in person or watched his film, he is all business when it comes to making plays and stopping anything in his way. What has always stood out to me are his consistency and his instincts. He is extremely gifted in being able to read a situation and instantly react with a viable way to make a play.
This past fall, Young was quite the impact player for Lakeland, who finished 12-3 and went on to capture the Florida 4S state title. On the season, Young notched 45 tackles (9 TFL), 12 PBU, and 6 INTs. He was selected to the All-County Selection Team by The Ledger.
PICK TO THE PARTMENTS!!!!!!
4 ⭐️ SAFETY @KeonYoung55 WITH ANOTHER INT AND THIS ONE IS GOES 95 YARDS!!!!Lakeland 27
CAI 10
2nd Quarter 35 seconds @DylanOliver23 @H2_Recruiting @LHSNaughts @CAIKnightsFB @Andy_Villamarzo @JonSantucci @FlaHSFootball @football305407 @RealNews102 pic.twitter.com/WRi6Iwd9Cp— PolkWay (@polk_way) October 21, 2023
Prior to his arrival at Lakeland, Young saw action at Auburndale. During his sophomore campaign there, he was credited with 41 tackles, 4 sacks 3 INT and 2 fumble recoveries.
The Rebels are off to heck of start in the opening weekend of camp season, wouldn’t you say? Welcome to the ‘Sip, Keon!
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.
