Rebel Recruiting: A Visit with 4-star ATH Cardae Mack on His Recent Visit to Ole Miss: ‘What I enjoy most is how real the people are’
OXFORD, Miss. — Spring in the ‘Sip has already been serving up some surprises that have been more than worth the wait for Ole Miss football. This past weekend, 4-star athlete Cardae Mack visited Ole Miss and we had a chance to talk to him about his trip.
The Rebel Walk, as you know, spent plenty of Friday nights in Houston, Texas this past fall, scouting some of the Lone Star State’s blue chip prospects the Rebels have been eyeing for some time. Class of 2026’s Cardae Mack is one of those, and he is a phenomenon when it comes to his rare athletic ability; we saw it firsthand week-in and week-out.
After a long and calculated drive Ole Miss target @cardaemack33 with a clutch pass into the endzone to put @AHSEagleFB 28-17 over Pearland with 2:03 left in the ball game. @TheRebelWalk pic.twitter.com/jkZdRjI1SL
— LeeAnn Herring (@LeeAnnHerringRW) November 23, 2024
We see so many talented athletes who are able to play multiple roles, but in Mack’s case he has taken it to a whole other level. He is being recruited collegiately as a running back, but this past season he also did a fantastic job as the quarterback at Atascocita.
He helped lead one of the most versatile attacks in the state, one stymied plenty of top-tier Texas high school defenses deep into his team’s playoff run.
Mack is going to get it done one way or another; he finished with 1,864 passing yards for 18 passing touchdowns — and he rushed for 1,918 yards with 22 touchdowns.He is a dangerous weapon, no matter where you put him. He is a kid whose talent translates instantly.
The Eagles are not standing down. Rebel target @cardaemack33 takes it to the house. @AHSEagleFB 14 -28 NS. 8:00 to go in the 3rd! @TheRebelWalk . #ComeToTheSip RBxQB pic.twitter.com/C7zdDFXkG0
— LeeAnn Herring (@LeeAnnHerringRW) December 7, 2024
Mack last saw reps at the running back position during his sophomore season, where he rushed for 1,370 yards and scored 18 TDs, averaging 9.26 yards per carry. He also caught 20 passes for 244 yards and 3 TDs.
Mack shared earlier this season with The Rebel Walk how his skillset as a running back has helped him soar as a QB. “Being an RB has helped me excel as a QB by being able to escape the pocket when it is about to collapse,” he explained.
Ole Miss target @cardaemack33 takes it to the house once again to increase the Eagle lead 16-13 with 5:37 to go to the 1st half. #RunToTheSip @TheRebelWalk pic.twitter.com/kPhPC1imFH
— LeeAnn Herring (@LeeAnnHerringRW) October 26, 2024
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound 4-star talent has no problem changing the script and doing whatever it takes to help elevate his team, and that’s what makes him such an asset. The endless notes we made on him always included his consistency, and each week we scouted him, he always had something new up his sleeve.
Here are just some of the key notes on Mack in case you have not had a chance to watch him firsthand.
- Very gifted athlete
- Speedy with the ability to stop and go at will
- Great instincts; always seems to find a path
- Big-play ability on every play — with his legs or arm
- Can be an every-down back at the next level
- Low center of gravity makes him hard to tackle
Now that we have you up to speed on this talented Ole Miss target, we can delve into his big visit to the ‘Sip this past weekend. Much like Rebels’ head coach Lane Kiffin, Mack is a kid who works and makes big moves in a more quiet manner.
#HottyToddy… Thanks for the invite…we thoroughly enjoyed Oxford and the @RebelsFBRec staff♥️♥️ @_kbolden @KevinSmithRB @Lane_Kiffin @cardaemack33 pic.twitter.com/5tbea32lKq
— Camilia Mack (@camilia36406404) March 30, 2025
After his visit to Oxford, Mack shared what he noticed on his trip.
“What I enjoy most is how real the people are; it wasn’t a fake look.”
Cardae Mack on his visit to Oxford
It is clear that Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith and newly appointed Assistant Director of Player Personnel Marvin Nash have been working diligently to make this moment happen. Visits can change the dynamic of the entire recruitment, especially in the case of a player like Mack,where even more programs are in the hunt.
The talented player shared just how this visit helped and how talking to the coaches impacted his take on Ole Miss.
“It helped out a lot. Something they all did was be honest about everything and not try to put on this front and cover their true selves.”
Cardae Mack
There has always been a strong list of suitors when it comes to Mack’s recruitment, but right now he shares that the schools who are standing out most right now are ASU, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Houston, and TCU. The Rebels, however, appear to have changed the game after this visit.
Cardae will have a busy spring and summer as he is looking to make his commitment July 13th ahead of his senior season.
On a side note, Mack’s high-level skills are not the only thing that makes him a rarity. Having observed him and talked with him, not just through the big wins, but also the tough losses, this is a kid who is extremely mature when it comes to how he approaches the game and his leadership. He truly is a humble leader with unmatched athleticism and vision.
He may be the leader of the offense, but this kid’s willingness to just do what his team needs, whatever and wherever it is, never ceases to amaze me. We look forward to bringing you more with Cardae during the Spring football season at Atascocita, so stay tuned with The Rebel Walk!
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.
