Merry Flipmas! 4-star offensive tackle Connor Howes is an Ole Miss Rebel
OXFORD, Miss. — We all know nothing happens in football without the big men up front in the trenches, and Thursday afternoon Ole Miss’ signing day momentum continues as Lane Kiffin and his staff have flipped Connor Howes, a 4-star offensive tackle, from Arkansas to Ole Miss.
Welcome to the Sip 🦈
Connor Howes, OL @ConnorHowes65 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/jgmSXnl8pA
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) December 5, 2024
Twenty-four hours after the early signing period began yesterday, the Rebels secured Howes’ commitment. The 6-foot-6, 295-pound trench king out of Osceola, Florida had been committed to the Razorbacks since June 14. He currently stands as the No. 33 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 61 overall athlete to come out of the Sunshine state.
Howes is fresh off an official visit to Ole Miss this past week, and it was evident the Rebs made quite the impression on him and gave him a lot to think about. He also held notable offers from Mississippi State, UCF, Houston, Miami and North Carolina State.
With so many offensive lineman leaving this season after exhausting their eligibility, replacing the offensive line is a top priority for the coming season. Fortunately, the Rebels have gained a much-needed asset in Howes as the offensive line of the future will benefit from his size and power.
While it surely was not an easy decision for Howes, he likely appreciated not just the Rebels’ football development — but also the strong culture and family atmosphere that makes Oxford a home away from home. From the Sunshine State to the ‘Sip, welcome Connor!
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.



