The Next Domino: Why Ole Miss is poised to keep rolling with 4-star Edge Antwan Jackson
Happy Monday, Rebels.
Saturday night served as another reminder that recruiting momentum is rarely accidental. It is earned through relationships, development, persistence, and timing. Ole Miss checked every one of those boxes when four-star wide receiver Alvin Mosley announced his commitment to Pete Golding and the Rebels, adding another blue-chip playmaker to a class that continues climbing the national rankings.
Now comes the question every recruiting fan asks the moment one domino falls:
Who’s next?
As always, my standard disclaimer applies. There is still a long road between June and December. Official visits are complete, commitments remain fluid, and today’s certainty can become tomorrow’s surprise. But if you’re looking for the next recruitment where Ole Miss has every reason to feel confident, all eyes should turn north toward Memphis.
July 3 looms large.
That’s when four-star edge rusher Antwan Jackson of White Station High School in Memphis is expected to announce his decision, choosing between Alabama, Ole Miss, and Missouri. Few recruitments have shifted more over the past month than Jackson’s.
For much of the cycle, Alabama appeared firmly in command. The Crimson Tide built an early foundation, and for a while it looked as though the race belonged to them.
Then June happened.
Official visit season has a way of rewriting recruiting stories. Relationships deepen. Families gain clarity. Coaching staffs make their final impressions. Suddenly, what once felt inevitable becomes anything but.
Ole Miss hosted Jackson for his official visit on June 5, but that weekend wasn’t an introduction. Living only a short drive from Oxford, Jackson has been on campus multiple times throughout his recruitment. Familiarity matters. Trust matters. And few coaching staffs have worked longer or harder to cultivate both than Golding and his Rebels.
Today, what once felt like Alabama’s race has evolved into what increasingly looks like a heavyweight battle between Ole Miss and Mizzou. That alone speaks volumes.
At 6-foot-5 with long arms, explosive first-step quickness, and a frame that appears nowhere close to finished filling out, Jackson checks virtually every measurable NFL scouts covet before a prospect even steps onto a college field.
His junior film only reinforces the projection. Jackson finished his season with 46 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, and an interception while also contributing offensively with 11 receptions for 216 yards. They moved him around the formation, utilizing him at EDGE, linebacker and tight end, showcasing an athlete whose ceiling continues to rise.
The production is impressive, but the traits are even better. Jackson possesses prototype length, a natural bend around the corner, and violent hands that allow him to disengage quickly from blockers. He plays with an outstanding motor, closes rapidly in pursuit, and has the athleticism to rush off the edge one snap before dropping comfortably into space the next. His versatility is exactly what defensive coordinators covet in today’s game.
He’s still scratching the surface. That’s precisely why programs across the SEC have spent months pursuing him. For Ole Miss, however, this recruitment extends beyond measurables. It centers around a key x-factor. Defensive line coach Randall Joyner has quietly become one of the SEC’s premier recruiters, particularly when it comes to developing defensive front talent. Prospects routinely point to his NFL pedigree, technical teaching, and authentic relationships as reasons Oxford feels different. Recruiting rankings may grab headlines, but position coaches close deals, and Joyner has built a reputation for doing exactly that.
Herring’s Take
Among the major recruitments remaining on Ole Miss’ board this summer, this is one where my confidence in the Rebels is stronger than most. Not because recruiting is ever predictable, but because I trust Randall Joyner in these moments.
Time and again, when Ole Miss enters a late recruiting battle for elite defensive talent, Joyner finds a way to narrow the margins. He doesn’t simply sell playing time or facilities. He sells development, accountability, and an NFL blueprint that resonates with prospects looking beyond Saturdays.
Every program involved will make one final push over the next several days. Alabama remains Alabama. Missouri continues recruiting at a high level. But if you’re asking where the momentum sits entering decision week, I believe it leans toward Oxford. Don’t be surprised if Ole Miss hears another “Boom” on the eve of Independence Day.
The Rebels’ recruiting class now sits at No. 16 nationally per 247Sports following Mosley’s commitment, giving Pete Golding and his staff 19 total pledges. Two edge defenders—Juelz Batiste of New Orleans and Keysan Taylor of Illinois—are already in the class, but Jackson would immediately become the highest-rated edge commitment in the group and another cornerstone piece for a defensive front built to compete with anyone in the SEC.
Momentum in recruiting is built one commitment at a time. The Rebels have found theirs. Now they have a chance to make July sound an awful lot like June.
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.
