BOOM! 5-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham flips to Ole Miss from Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. — No matter where your journey takes you, there is something special about coming home. That’s what 5-star, 2025 wide receiver Caleb Cunningham of Ackerman, Miss. did Wednesday afternoon when he announced he was flipping his commitment from Alabama to Ole Miss.
It’s hard to describe that moment when you find yourself back where it all started after being away from home. This past weekend, many of Ole Miss’ talented recruits found themselves coming back home and witnessing the win over Georgia, a moment that will live forever in program history. We can argue it’s a win that will help solidify the course of the future for the program.
Make no mistake, Caleb Cunningham is a transformational player, one who will not only make the Rebels infinitely better, but one who will attract other top players as well.
The elite Cunningham has roots that are deeply tied to the ‘Sip. He’s been committed to Alabama since July, but over the course of the weeks and months since then, it was evident the Rebels remained on his mind, despite his commitment to the Tide. He’s attend three Ole Miss football games this fall, already, including the big one over Georgia.
The 6-foot-1 Cunningham is the first five-star in this recruiting cycle for Lane Kiffin. He’s also the sixth commit from the Magnolia State.
On Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Coach Kiffin was asked about the momentum in recruiting resulting from the win over Georgia.
There’s been a lot of excitement amongst recruits that were here or watched on TV,” Kiffin noted.
“It was a highly viewed game and a lot of them were excited about the style we won in. There’s a really bright future here. Austin (Simmons) coming in and playing great also made people really excited about the future.“
Lane Kiffin
Cunningham had made it no secret that the Rebels continued to have strong ties in his recruitment, and as the crowd rushed the field in Week 11 after the Rebels played such a dominating game against then-No. 2 Georgia, it was evident that could be the moment when Cunningham would make his final decision — to stay home.
Home is Home! 🦈🦈 https://t.co/LC7JnvKrle
— Caleb Cunningham ✝️ (@calebcunning13) November 13, 2024
This is a flip I have been talking about and anticipating for some time. The blue-chip receiver stands as the No. 16 overall player in the 2025 class, the No. 2 wide receiver in the country and the No. 1 out of his home state.
He is so athletic, whether he’s competing on the gridiron or the hardwood.
— Caleb Cunningham ✝️ (@calebcunning13) October 5, 2024
Quick Scout of Cunningham
- Strong hands to break tackles
- Makes yards after catch
- Frame similar to AJ Brown
- Instant impact player
- Big-play ability and is a huge threat in the Red zone.
Simply put, Cunningham will be the best friend of the next Rebels’ quarterback. Get the ball near him, and he will catch it.
Cunningham now looks to focus on getting his Choctaw County team to the state title as they stand 10-1 overall and 4-0 in the MS 3A Region 4 picture.
He and his teammates will take on Winona this Friday to keep their postseason alive.
‼️‼️‼️ https://t.co/APGdoB5len
— Caleb Cunningham ✝️ (@calebcunning13) November 8, 2024
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.
