Ole Miss football recruits take notice as Rebels move to 9-1 and eye playoffs
OXFORD, Miss. — Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss team couldn’t have scripted a more impressive Week 11 on both sides of the ball, and Ole Miss commits and recruits took notice.
The defense was suffocating, while quarterback Trinidad Chambliss delivered another outstanding performance as the Rebels dominated The Citadel, 49-0, in Oxford. With the win, the Rebels improve to 9-1 on the season, marking their best record after the first 10 games since the perfect 10-0 run under Johnny Vaught in 1962.
The shutout was historic as well; it marked only the second defensive blanking since the 2007 season. Ole Miss held The Citadel to a mere 33 rushing yards on 42 attempts and recorded an impressive total of 13 tackles for loss, limiting the Bulldogs to just 106 yards of total offense.
Looking ahead, the Rebels are preparing for their final home SEC matchup which will come against the Florida Gators Saturday. Ole Miss continues to generate excitement not only on their path to the College Football Playoffs, but also among a crucial panel of commits and recruits who are increasingly intrigued by what’s unfolding in the Oxford.
We caught up with Rebel commits and prospects to gather their reactions following the Week 11 shutout.
“Really good win for the guys. I’m so glad how they played winning football no matter who the opponent is, really sound defensive game for them leaving a donut on the board also!”
–’26 Ole Miss Safety Commit Nascar McCoy
“ I think really just the team’s consistency of playing good football is great and that they’re not playing down to their opponents. That stood the most out to me, I really enjoyed watching them win!”
– ‘26 Ole Miss QB Commit Jett Goldsberry
“Huge win, took care of business. The whole team looked great—offense, defense and special teams. Can’t wait to get back down!”
-‘27 Ole Miss QB Commit Keegan Croucher
“Had a great time. I would say what stood out the most to me was the atmosphere was electric and stayed loud throughout the game, even once the Rebels were ahead by 49. Loved the offense being aggressive to the end; the entire team was having fun and playing well.”
“Ole Miss has been doing great this year and dominating opponents and the win over The Citadel was no surprise. I’m really excited to get down to Mississippi and see how the program is and the fans!”
“Straight Dominance! The offense was clicking in the first half and the defense dominated throughout the entire game!! Trinidad was sharp and the O-line gave him all day! Look out for the Rebs in the playoffs!!”
“Belt to butt; fine tuning to get ready for Florida next week!”
“Ole Miss, from start to finish, played with heart, executing key plays when it mattered most and staying focused under pressure.”
Next Up
This Saturday, the Rebels play one final regular-season home game and will be looking to avenge the loss the Gators handed them in the Swamp last year. Ole Miss and Florida are set to kick off at 6:00 p.m. CT., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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.
