On the Offer: Ole Miss offers 2026 4-star defensive lineman Jamarion Carlton
OXFORD, Miss. — Just off I-35, nestled in Central Texas, one finds the old railroad town of Temple. Here lately, I have driven past it quite frequently on the recruiting trail to Dallas and Houston. However, thanks to Jamarion Carlton, a class of 2026 4-star defensive lineman who has received an offer from Ole Miss, we won’t just be passing by Temple anymore.
The defensive front has been a priority for the Rebels on the recruiting trail over the past few cycles, and we can clearly see evidence of this already in the opening weeks of the season.
The 6-foot-5, 238-pound junior is ranked as the No. 20 overall athlete in the nation for 2026, the No. 2 defensive lineman in the nation, and the No. 3 overall athlete to come out of the Lone Star state.
#AGTG Couple of early season highlights pic.twitter.com/E9vKDf2rXd
— Jamarion Carlton (@JamarionC26) September 16, 2024
Carlton holds over 21 offers to date. In addition to one from the Rebels, he has offers from: Texas, A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, USC, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, LSU, Nebraska, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, SMU, and Syracuse, among others.
Look for that list to continue to grow, as it doesn’t take long to recognize his exceptional talent. As a sophomore in 2023, he recorded 29 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, and 7 quarterback hurries in 8 games.
Highlights so far this season pic.twitter.com/jR7iQOYn1g
— Jamarion Carlton (@JamarionC26) September 28, 2022
Carlton is super twitchy with a knack for making big plays. He has a lean frame, but don’t let that fool you. He possesses strength at the point of attack and his speed-to-power capabilities are impressive. His athletic roots are not just in football, but also in basketball and track and field, and that has helped him with his physicality.
#AGTG A couple of basketball highlights I have so far @TEMPLEBBALL @_Recruit_Temple pic.twitter.com/qdqTJHyo1h
— Jamarion Carlton (@JamarionC26) April 15, 2024
Caught a pick at 7v7 today playin DB I can do it all🤣 pic.twitter.com/zJOzB7a5N6
— Jamarion Carlton (@JamarionC26) June 15, 2024
The home-state Longhorns are the favorites for Carlton at the moment, but if anyone can go head-to-head, it’s Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels.
We caught up with Jamarion to learn more on his offer and his recruitment.
Jamarion on what it means to receive an offer from the Rebels:
“It means a lot. You know, Ole Miss is a big-time school and to receive an offer from them is amazing.”
Jamarion on what stands out about the way Ole Miss has been recruiting him:
“They recruit pretty hard, so you know they hit me up any chance they get which I find great. It shows how much they want to build a relationship.”
Jamarion on what he is looking for most in his future home:
“Relationships and if the place fits me.”
Carlton and his Wildcats are currently 3-1, fresh off a 19-14 victory on the road at San Antonio Reagan on September 13 and a big 52-13 win at home tonight against Austin High.
We look forward to bringing you more with the blue-chip lineman on the recruiting trail.
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.
