A Visit with Ole Miss RB Commit Shekai Mills-Knight on Why he Chose the Rebels: ‘It’s just different…they treat me as if I’m family’
OXFORD, Miss. — The role of the running back is more pronounced in the Lane Kiffin scheme than in most offenses, so it’s not surprising to see the Rebels continue to acquire some of the nation’s top talent, not just from the portal but also from the high school ranks. Four-star 2025 Ole Miss commit Shekai Mills-Knight is looking to continue to keep that hot streak going.
WATCH SHEKAI PLAY TODAY: You have an opportunity to watch Mills-Knight as he and his Baylor School (Chattanooga, TN) teammates kick off their season home-opener later today as part of the ESPN High School Kickoff. The Baylor School is set to face Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School from Rabun County, Georgia. Tune in at Noon CT on ESPN.
Read more here after Mills Knight committed to the Rebels early this month.
RB Shekai Mills-Knight has committed to Ole Miss.
The 6’1 215 lb running back is a four star prospect and the #17 RB in the class of 2025. He chose the Rebels over Alabama, Miami, Auburn, & Tennessee.
— T.J. (@TJOxley1) August 17, 2024
Mills-Knight currently stands as the No. 17 overall running back in the class of 2025 and is the No.6 overall athlete out of the state of Tennessee. His roots may be in Canada, but Mills-Knight has quickly made a name for himself since his arrival to The Baylor School.
He held offers from, among others: Tennessee, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, Miami, Florida, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Missouri, Vandy, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia, to name a few.
But it’s Ole Miss and Oxford who are near and dear to Shekai’s heart, as you can tell from his thoughts on ‘Why Ole Miss?’ below.
A Visit with Shekai on ‘Why Ole Miss?’
Following his commitment, Shekai spoke with The Rebel Walk, and we had a chance to delve deeper with him on his decision to join Lane Kiffin and company.
“Man, where to begin,” Shekai starts.
“I remember the first offer feeling. I had reached out to (Ole Miss running backs) Coach (Kevin) Smith early in the morning, and he hit me back. And later that day, my coach, Erik Kimrey, came to me in the trainers room, talking about ‘I love you, Shekai.’ I was confused. I was like, ‘I love you, too, Coach. What’s going on?’
And he called Kevin Smith back and gave me the phone,” Mills-Knight continues.
“I looked at the phone, and it said ‘Kevin Smith Ole Miss RB Coach,’ so I smiled and he started talking to me. He asked me how I was doing, and then told me he wants to offer me a full ride to Ole Miss! Boy, not only offer me — but he wants to sign me! A lot of emotions were going through my head. I was so hyped. Then I looked up, and there was a big circle around me so I couldn’t cry. I was jumping with Max Leblanc, and I gave my coach a hug. Then, I got my ankle taped and went out to practice,” Mills-Knight explained.
“Ever since that day, I had a special bond with Ole Miss. They were the ones who first believed in me and to know they saw me before all these other colleges had me near to them, and all along all my work paid off. That is was what I was thinking. I knew it was just a matter of time. Being No. 1 in Canada, I just had to show them that it translates to the States, too, and then colleges started noticing that, too.”
Shekai Mills-Knight on his bond with the Rebels
A family affair at Ole Miss
Many recruits to Ole Miss mention the family feeling they get during their time with the staff and team. It stands out to them. Mills-Knight is no different in feeling that.
“But from the moment I went down (to Ole Miss), I saw how family-oriented they are. They brought their kids around me and always welcomed me before I had all my stars (and was still unranked). I feel like Coach Smith and Coach Davis are the realest in the game. I can’t explain it, but going from school to school, it felt just right (at Ole Miss) and they can teach me a lot on and off the field. I’ve been to church with them and the fam…it’s just different. They treat me as if I’m family, too.”
Mills-Knight on the family feeling at Ole Miss
Mills-Knight also talked about Oxford.
“They have a nice college town, but it isn’t the biggest — which will make you focus more and eliminate distractions,” he noted. “For me, personally, I love Oxford, and think they have my best interests. I feel like they have the most fun as a team and that’s what it’s all about, even though college football has come to the business side, more or less. But they do their thing.
Coming Up
We look forward to sharing more about Shekai as he gets down to business in his senior campaign. Again, he kicks off his season home-opener later today. Rebels can tune in to ESPN at Noon today as The Baylor School hosts
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School as part of the ESPN High School Kickoff series.
Hotty Toddy!
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.
