Versatile 2026 Athlete Izayah Lee Talks About His Offer from Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss has been making its mark on the recruiting trail as of late, hitting the Lone Star State with gusto. Running backs coach Kevin Smith looks to continue to add to the Rebel backfield arsenal and made several stops during his time in Texas on Ole Miss’ bye week. One offer Smith made went to rising 2026 athlete Izayah Lee out of Lancaster High School.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @KevinSmithRB I’m blessed to receive a offer from Ole miss @LancasterFBwebo @KWhitley20 @TheCoachPaul7 @coach_fears @C0ACHBROWN pic.twitter.com/WDO7rt1Osx
— Izayah lee (@zayygoind1) October 17, 2024
While Lee currently remains unranked, rest assured Coach Smith, along with DJ Mann, the Rebels’ Assistant Director of Player Personnel, have the eye for picking talent before they get to be the buzz.
Izayah Lee calls game!
19-yard TD run by @zayygoind1 to put it all away for @LancasterFBwebo in overtime, 41-35.
158 rushing yards and 3 TDs for the junior. pic.twitter.com/dBsSTLdNVC
— Jacob Richman (@JacobHRichman) September 28, 2024
Quick scouting report
It is not hard to see why the Rebels wanted to jump in the mix for Lee. He’s another versatile talent who has found success in more than one position, playing wide receiver as well as running back.
MID SEASON HIGHLIGHTS!
615 yards
14 TDs
6.09 YPC@LancasterFBwebo @TheCoachPaul7 @KWhitley20 @coach_fears @C0ACHBROWN https://t.co/1g0sVZI0f0— Izayah lee (@zayygoind1) October 6, 2024
I took a quick look at his mid-season film, and here are some things that jump out to me:
- Downhill runner with power
- Great after contact and runs though
- Strong awareness of the field
- He shows a great ability to shift
- Overall, very athletic and versatile athlete
Touchdown Lancaster❗️@zayygoind1 power his way in!
Duncanville 14, Lancaster 7
2Q 8:29 pic.twitter.com/22UhaBsSxl— Juwan Davis (@MrJDavis96) October 19, 2024
Lee’s recruitment is one Rebels will want to watch. He currently holds 10 offers to date, including from: Arizona State, Baylor, Boston College, Michigan State, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Tulsa, UCF and Utah.
We had a chance to catch up with him following his offer from the Rebels. For Lee, this Ole Miss offer already has a special place in his recruiting journey.
“It’s big to get my first SEC offer (from the Rebels). My recruitment has just started, but I like the coach and the conversations I have had with him.”
Izayah Lee on the offer from Ole Miss
The junior, of course, still has many moving pieces within his recruitment but he shared with us what he is most looking for right now in his future program.
“It’s a place that make it feel like home, beside academics,” Lee relayed.
There is no doubt plenty of SEC teams will be looking to earn his services. “I’m getting recruited heavily by a lot of different schools,” Lee shared with us.
With just two weeks left for Lee in his regular season, his focus will remain on his team and his academics. We did ask him if there will be a trip to Oxford in the future.
“Yes, I would love to make a trip out there,” Lee said. So keep an eye out for that, Rebel fans.
Lee’s Lancaster team is coming off a 45-0 win over Mesquite High School last week. His 67-yard touchdown run in the second quarter sparked Lancaster’s victory. He finished with 116 yards on 12 carries.
Lancaster (4-1, 4-4 district) will hit the road to take on Waxahachie (5-3, 3-2) this coming Friday, November 1, before finishing up district play at home against powerhouse DeSoto.
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.
