Ole Miss will be without Kewan Lacy the rest of the season, according to a source close to the program.
The source confirmed that the Rebels’ star running back will not return, speaking on condition of anonymity because the school had not made an official announcement on Lacy’s status. On3 first reported that Lacy was done for the year.
Lacy came into the season with real Heisman buzz and was supposed to pair with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in what Ole Miss hoped would be one of the most dangerous quarterback-running back duos in college football. In August, the school even rolled out a joint Heisman push for the two, putting them on the massive LED display on the outside of Sphere in Las Vegas.
His season was interrupted in mid-September, when he hurt his left shoulder in Ole Miss’ marquee win over LSU. He missed only one game, the loss at Florida, before returning. But he reaggravated the injury in the Rebels’ 34-27 loss to Texas on Oct. 24 and has not played since.
The injury ends a season in which Lacy had remained one of the most productive backs in the country. His 104.5 rushing yards per game ranked ninth nationally and second in the SEC, behind only Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy. After arriving at Ole Miss from Missouri ahead of the 2025 season, Lacy delivered big numbers under former coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
That production was part of a run that helped push Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. The Rebels beat Tulane in Oxford, knocked off SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and then lost a thriller to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. When Kiffin left for LSU and took many key players and coaches with him, Lacy and Chambliss stayed to play for Pete Golding.
If this is the end of Lacy’s Ole Miss career, he leaves with 1,955 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in two seasons with the Rebels. Last year, he set single-season program records with 306 rush attempts, 1,567 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns.
Ole Miss has moved junior running back Makhi Frazier into the lead role. Through eight games, Frazier has 72 carries for 365 yards, and his best outing came against Missouri on Oct. 17, when he ran for 101 yards in a 31-3 win.
Lacy’s NFL decision now becomes the next big question. In August, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him as the top running back in the 2027 NFL Draft class and viewed him as a potential first-round pick, but Lacy was not included in Brugler’s updated top-50 rankings this week. He has played three seasons of college football, which means he can delay entering the draft for another year.
Ole Miss’ path back to Playoff contention got tougher after Saturday’s 42-7 home loss to Georgia, which dropped the Rebels from No. 10 to No. 19 in the CFP rankings. The season has not settled into place since what looked like a signature win against Kiffin and LSU in Week 3. The Rebels followed that up with a 24-point loss in Gainesville, and Georgia’s 35-point victory was the worst loss of Golding’s young head coaching career.
Austin Mock’s projections would lift Ole Miss’ CFP odds to 51 percent if the Rebels beat Oklahoma this weekend, before finishing with home games against Wofford and Mississippi State. Even then, they would still need help from teams ahead of them in the rankings.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Faces A Major O-Line Test At Oklahoma
Ole Miss is heading into its matchup at Oklahoma with a little extra uncertainty up front, as Troy Everett is expected to step in at guard because of an injury to Patrick Kutas. It will be Everetts first start of the season, a notable development for an offensive line that has to hold up in a tough road environment and keep the Rebels on schedule.
The setting only adds to the challenge, with Ole Miss returning to Oklahomas stadium for the second straight season. For a line already adjusting to a new starter, the timing matters, and how well Everett settles in could shape the Rebels ability to handle the Sooners front and protect the rest of the offense from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Caught In The CFP Fight Fans Knew Was Coming
The latest College Football Playoff rankings have stirred up the kind of debate Ole Miss fans know all too well, with the SEC again at the center of the conversation. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti took to social media with a cryptic post and a string of emojis after the Hoosiers fell from No. 4 to No. 9 without playing, and the reaction quickly spread beyond Bloomington as other Big Ten voices joined in to question the committees logic.
Bret Bielema and Kirk Ferentz also voiced frustration with what they see as a system that continues to lean toward SEC teams, while CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek offered the committees explanation for Alabamas placement. For Ole Miss, the noise is familiar, because every ranking shuffle seems to sharpen the same old argument about who gets the benefit of the doubt when the playoff picture starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Bigger Problem Than Oklahoma This Week
Saturdays trip to Norman already looked like a meaningful one for the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels, but the stakes feel even sharper now. After a recent loss and a slide in the rankings, Ole Miss heads into Memorial Stadium with more than just Oklahoma on its mind, because the Rebels are trying to steady themselves while dealing with a growing injury list that has already cost them Kewan Lacy for the season.
Oklahoma has its own injury questions, but the Sooners appear to be in a better spot overall, which only adds to the pressure on Ole Miss to find answers quickly. For a team trying to reset its trajectory, this matchup has the feel of a possible turning point, and the Rebels could use a clean performance in a tough road setting to keep the season from drifting further off course. [Read more 🡒]
