RW Recruiting Game of the Week: All Eyes on 4-Star Safety Ladarian Clardy as He Nears Decision Date
This week, The Rebel Walk takes on Florida for our RW Recruiting Game of the Week as the Bay High Tornadoes take on the Escambia Gators. Both teams are coming off a bye week, as well as a loss, making this game an opportunity for each to change their respective courses.
For the Ole Miss Rebels, it is no secret their eyes will be focused on Escambia and its 4-star safety Ladarian Clardy. Holding well over 43 offers, he is one of Ole Miss’ priority targets in 2025 and is just nine days away from making his final commitment on September 21st.
September 21st🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/eZLc61UySH
— Ladarian Clardy (@_ladarian34) September 11, 2024
The Rebels have been working overtime to earn the services of the 6-foot, 180-pound Clardy, the No.15 safety in the country, who has been quite dynamic already this season, averaging 7 tackles per game.
We back🦈🦈 @Lane_Kiffin pic.twitter.com/xKg9gr0KrL
— Ladarian Clardy (@_ladarian34) August 31, 2024
In addition to his athletic skillset, the two-way player is known for his aggressiveness, so it is no wonder he has been nicknamed ‘The Squirrel.’
As a sophomore in 2022 at Escambia, Clardy helped his team make it to the second round of the playoffs. He notched 55 total tackles, recorded eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two interceptions while playing the safety position. On the other side of the ball, he also tallied 547 return yards during that season and scored four touchdowns.
Last season in 2023, Clardy closed his junior year campaign with 57 tackles, eight pass breakups and four interceptions on a stout Escambia defense. The Gators finished 8-4 on the season and made an appearance in Florida’s 3S Regional Finals. Clardy was also a playmaker for the offense, tallying 154 yards of total offense and four TDs.
Know I’m one of them 1’s😤 pic.twitter.com/AKUFtVRwjD
— Ladarian Clardy (@_ladarian34) September 1, 2024
Tonight under the lights, expect the ‘Clardy Chaos’ in full force. He’s another exciting Ole Miss prospect you can’t help but want to watch, regardless of which side of the ball he is playing.
We look forward to bringing you all the highlights from tonight’s match up! Kickoff from Emmitt Smith Stadium is at 6:00 pm CT.
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.



