Taylor Made: Lane Kiffin, Rebels Add Dynamic Troy Running Back to Loaded Roster
OXFORD, Miss. — We have seen how unstoppable the Rebels are when they catch fire — and right now, their recruiting trail is blazing. Ole Miss continues to host a wave of talented high school prospects and transfers, all eager to elevate the team ahead of summer workouts. And just when you thought the running back room couldn’t get any deeper, the Rebels have added another playmaker: Troy transfer Damien Taylor.
100% Locked🔒 #HottyToddy 🦈🔴 https://t.co/Qme60Nb9xu
— Damien Taylor (@_DamienTaylor) April 20, 2025
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A native of Northport, Alabama, Taylor arrives in Oxford with one year of eligibility remaining after a standout season with the Trojans. He rushed for 1,010 yards on 172 carries, averaging 84.2 yards per game and an impressive 5.8 yards per carry, while finding the end zone seven times. He also contributed in the passing game, catching seven passes for 28 yards and two receiving touchdowns — earning Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in the process.
Damien Taylor punches it in for 6️⃣!
3Q 9:44 | 🐺 23, ⚔️ 10#BattleReady | #OneTROY⚔️🏈 pic.twitter.com/2BbwyhS0AK
— Troy Trojans Football 8x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) October 27, 2024
The Ole Miss running back room no longer has Ulysses Bentley IV, Henry Parrish and others. The Rebels do, however, return former LSU standout back Logan Diggs. The former Tiger is coming back from last season in Oxford where he spent the entirety recovering from a knee injury suffered in a January 2024 LSU bowl game. They’ll also have Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy who is expected to immediately step in and contribute and, in the summer, have the arrival of talented high school commit Shekai Mills-Knight.
With the Rebels’ running back room already brimming with talent, the addition of Taylor gives the unit even more firepower and experience. His versatility and production make him a valuable asset to a group that’s already among the best in the SEC.
Get ready, because the backfield just got even more dangerous with the addition of Taylor.
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.



