A Visit with 2026 Wide Receiver and Illinois native Zach Washington Who’s Set to be at Egg Bowl
OXFORD, Miss. — Talented class of 2026 wide receiver Zach Washington has been receiving the attention of plenty of programs with his strong play, swiftness, and ability to catch the deep ball.
Junior year highlights
16 TDs
1450 Total Yards1st Team IHSFCA All-State
1st Team Red Grange All-County
1st Team CCL All-Conference
HM Gazette News All-State @EDGYTIM @SWiltfong_ @AllenTrieu @IamClint_C @SFHSFBWheaton @CoachMac44 @GregSmithRivals https://t.co/ndxs2YsJY9— Zachary Washington (@zach5washington) November 28, 2024
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder from Wheaton, Illinois ranks as the No. 72 overall wideout in the class and the No.12 overall player to come out of the state of Illinois. He has been building his offer sheet with 13, including: Indiana, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin, among others.
Many of the midwest schools are looking to keep Washington closer to home, but he knows Ole Miss has a strong history of producing some of the nation’s top collegiate and pro wide receivers.
Washington is set to make his way to Oxford for today’s Battle of the Golden Egg. We had a chance to catch up with him to preview his visit to the ‘Sip along with his recruitment.
A Visit with 2026 WR Zach Washington
RW: What are you most looking forward to on your trip to the Egg Bowl and Oxford?
Washington: Looking forward to hopefully having some time with the coaches and see the team live. Really excited to see the environment and experience The Grove.
RW: What stands out about the way Ole Miss is recruiting you?
Washington: Coach McDonald is really upfront. I had a private workout at a camp I was at when he was coaching at Illinois when I was a freshman. Really looking forward to continuing to build that relationship.
RW: Ole Miss is known to develop strong players at your position. How does that factor in with your recruitment?
Washington: That’s huge for me! I want to be coached and pushed by the best to develop all my skills. The chance to hopefully do it at Ole Miss is even more motivating.
RW: Are there any schools right now recruiting you that are really standing out?
Washington: Mizzou, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana are the ones who stand out and have really shown interest. I have great relationships with the WR coaches at all those schools.
RW: What do you believe is your X-Factor skill-set as a wide receiver that you could bring to a team like Ole Miss and the SEC?
Washington: My size and speed. I’m able to take tops off the defense. And I know I’m still growing and getting faster. I’m a hard worker on and off the field. I’m extremely competitive and there is no better competition than the SEC.
Washington has had a heck of a junior campaign and has been recognized as first team All-State, Conference, and All-County. He has notched plenty of big moments for his team, but perhaps one of my favorites was his score on a 95-yard kick return. In the same quarter, he also took a reverse for a 92-yard TD.
We look forward to sharing more from Washington during his time in Oxford. Stay Tuned!
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.
