A Visit with Ole Miss Commit, Under Armour All-American Cortez Thomas
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss class of 2025 signee Cortez Thomas recently took the stage for one final time in his high school career as he joined fellow Rebel signee Keon Young in the Under Armour All-American game. We had a chance to visit with Thomas to talk about the game and his future.
2025 DB, @UANextFootball All-American signs with @OleMissFB , Take Care Business My Boy💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/sArauCIYXS
— Marcus Rogers (@CoachRogers88) December 4, 2024
Thomas and Young were two of the nation’s top 100 athletes selected to the Under Armour All American Team.
Thomas, a four-star safety out of Holmes County High School in Lexington, Mississippi, suited up for Team Icon. In the game, Team Icon defeated Team Unstoppable 31-19. While in DeLand, Florida, Thomas trained with the nation’s top coaching staff and fellow blue-chip players.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is the No. 18 safety in the class and the No. 9 overall athlete out of the Magnolia state. Thomas’ physicality and field awareness help set him apart from others at his position.
We had a chance to catch up with Thomas while he was preparing to play in the Under Armor game to talk about his experience.
RW: What did it mean to you to represent Mississipp and Ole Miss as an Under Armour All American?
Thomas: It’‘s always a blessing to rep where I’m from. Being from Mississippi and showing off the talent Mississippi holds is a pretty big deal in my opinion.
RW: What did you most look forward to in playing for Team Icon?
Thomas: Meeting new guys and learning how their work ethic is and honestly just getting the experience from the game.
RW: What was the experience like for you?
Thomas: Playing with the best helps my game mentally and physically. Learning different terminology from the coaches and being coached by coaches I’m not familiar with is a great start for the level I’ll be headed to in a few months.
RW: What does it meant to not just experience this with your family but also Coach Rogers who has been a big part of your journey?
Thomas: Coach Rogers is and has always been more than a coach to me. He believed in me since day one. He’s a great mentor and coach. Without him, i’m not sure if I would have been in this position I am in today.
RW: How do you believe this opportunity will help you prepare for your next chapter as a Rebel?
Thomas: Playing against the top guys in the country in every position shows me my strengths and weaknesses. This game will let me know what I need to work on and what I’m good with. I plan on making a huge impact in Oxford early!
We also had a chance to catch up with Thomas’ coach at Holmes County, Marcus Rogers, who was also a part of the elite coaching staff on hand in Florida. We asked him what sets Thomas apart from others and what he believes the young defensive back can bring to the Rebels in the future.
“Cortez is a physical specimen who loves the game. He plays with an edge. He also has great character and loves to be coached.”
Coach Marcus Rogers on Cortez Thomas
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.
