3-star IOL John Wayne Oliver commits to Ole Miss: 'I've wanted to play in the SEC my whole life'

Ole Miss immediately jumped near the top of the list for Nashville (Tenn.) CPA three-star interior offensive lineman John Wayne Oliver when he picked up an offer from the Rebels in mid-March.

Oliver visited Ole Miss for the first time a month later and was back on campus on June 9 for his official visit. Those two visits sealed the deal for him as he announced his commitment to the Rebels Tuesday afternoon picking them over Auburn and TCU.

“I’ve wanted to play in the SEC my whole life,” Oliver told On3. “I love the O-line coach (John) Garrison, head coach Lane Kiffin, and it’s a great environment in a great town. I’ve also already built great relationships with the o-linemen there.”

During both of the trips to Oxford, Oliver said he was able to meet and speak with Kiffin. Getting to know Kiffin more as a person off of the field and as a coach played a part in the 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman choosing the Rebels.

“He’s a real chill dude and you probably wouldn’t expect that,” said Oliver, the No. 566 player in the 2024 class. “Watching him on TV, he seems completely different. In person he’s really nice and relaxed and just a great coach who’s done it at every level.”

Ole Miss stood out above every other program

A few days before his announcement Oliver was at TCU for an official visit. He held the Horned Frogs high on his list but knew that Ole Miss was where he was going to be.

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Oliver said that he was originally planning on making his decision in July. However, once he knew it was Ole Miss, it just made sense to announce his decision as soon as he could.

“Coach Garrison would call me every other day and we’d talk for 30 minutes,” Oliver said. “I realized that we had a lot in common and connected really well. My sister also goes to Mississippi State so I’ll be close to her and my family back here so that played a role.

“Getting this decision out of the way now takes so much pressure off of me. The last few weeks it’s been hard for me to go to sleep because I’ve been thinking about it nonstop. Now I’m happy it’s over, I’m at peace with my decision and can just stay focused on my senior season.”