The Tyler Lockhart Saga: Ole Miss Flip at Linebacker Flips Again…Goes Back to State
OXFORD, Miss. — What a 24 hours it has been for Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels, inking yet another top recruiting class for 2025. But of course it wouldn’t be National Signing Day without a bit of chaos, right? As the signees rolled in and officially became Rebels, one of those was linebacker Tyler Lockhart, who had been committed to Mississippi State since September.
Pete Golding and the staff had been working on the Lockhart commitment for some time. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker was on hand to witness the Rebels’ win in the Egg Bowl, and it seemed that all things had aligned. He is ranked as the No. 16 linebacker in his class and the No. 5 player in Mississippi and was scheduled to be an early enrollee.
During his live ceremony at Winona High School yesterday, everyone saw the 4-star linebacker commit and throw up the Landshark, much to his family’s obvious chagrin as they looked on rather unhappily.
— ⭐️Tyler⭐️⭐️Lockhart⭐️ (@_TylerL_12) December 4, 2024
Like many of his fellow signees, Lockhart took to the stage with family on hand and an audience filled with Ole Miss media, family and friends, shocking so many of them when he decided to be an Ole Miss Rebel.
From the looks of things, Lockhart was on board — but it was easy to see not everyone around him was keen on him being a Rebel.
WATCH:
4-star LB Tyler Lockhart, from Winona, MS (High), signs with Ole Miss.
He was previously committed to Mississippi State. #OleMiss | @LoganMediaNet pic.twitter.com/H7yQIOOTXn
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) December 4, 2024
But that didn’t stop Lockhart from talking to media to let them know he was locked in with Ole Miss. On the logistics side of things, the Rebels received the paperwork that would also allow them to announce him as a new member of the class of 2025. Merry Flipmas had come again.
But not so fast, my friends. By sundown, the chaos and complication started to come alive. State announced via social media that Lockhart was a Bulldogs’ signee.
So is he a Rebel or Bulldog?
Ole Miss football later deleted Lockhart’s commitment tweet and removed him from the list of signees on the official Ole Miss signing day page.
State has him as a Bulldog.
The best in state come to STATE!
4-star linebacker @_TylerL_12 is a DAWG!#HailState pic.twitter.com/ThbtHmopJn
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 5, 2024
Late last night came the tweet we are all trying to dissect from Lockhart, himself, simply stating: “My bad.”
my bad😂😂
— ⭐️Tyler⭐️⭐️Lockhart⭐️ (@_TylerL_12) December 5, 2024
What a wild way to end the opening of the early signing period. There are plenty of questions that we are working on bringing some clarity to, but it’s clear there is a lot to unpack here. What we can say is for now, Lockhart is listed on State’s website and has been removed from Ole Miss’.
But, Rebels, it’s going to be fine. The behind-the-scenes actions in recruiting are not always shiny, to say the least, and this is just another example of the new age of how recruiting can turn on a dime. The bigger picture is how well Coach Kiffin and staff are doing in the recruiting arena — especially with in-state kids. Kiffin was asked about this in his post-signing-day presser.
“I think there’s a number of factors with that,” Kiffin said, after Ole Miss signed Caleb Cunningham, the No. 1 player in the state and the No. 2 overall wide receiver in the country.
“We’ve been dominant over their time, basically, in Egg Bowls. So, a lot of in-state kids, (when it comes down to it) between us and State, the programs have been extremely different. I’m not taking a shots, win-losses since we’ve been here are dramatically different and very different directions the programs are heading in. They see that, so that knocks out State for the kids.”
Lane Kiffin
So while Ole Miss may not have emerged on signing day with Lockhart in tow, they’ve still got a top-15 nationally-ranked recruiting class and they’re not done yet as a couple of players are announcing today and tomorrow. (Stay tuned for that) Also, keep in mind the transfer portal window opens next week, December 9, and you know the Portal King will take advantage of that.
Hotty Toddy!
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.
