Texas is headed into Saturday night with more than just a top-10 opponent in front of it. The Longhorns also have to stare down a back they passed over - and one who made no secret of what that meant to him.
Kewan Lacy, a Dallas native, was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and drew national attention from major programs. Texas was not among them. Steve Sarkisian did not offer him, and now the Longhorns will have to deal with him in an Ole Miss uniform when the Rebels come to Austin.
Lacy put it bluntly when talking about the snub.
"They didn't offer me out of high school, and that was my dream school," Lacy said. "That was my dream school, but they didn't give me the opportunity... I can't wait to see them."
Dallas native Kewan Lacy says Texas was his “dream school” but the Longhorns didn’t offer him out of Lancaster High School.
“They didn’t give me an opportunity.”
Lacy and Ole Miss face the Horns in Austin on Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/NGp0Cz1Xoz
- Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) October 23, 2026
That missed chance looks a lot bigger now. Through five games this season, Lacy has piled up 352 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 62 carries. He also comes in off a monster year, when he rolled up 1,567 yards and 24 scores on the ground.
And he is not arriving alone. Ole Miss brings one of the country’s most dangerous backfield combinations with Trinidad Chambliss, a dual-threat quarterback who gives Texas another problem to solve.
That is a tough assignment already. It gets harder because the Longhorns’ defense will be short-handed.
Colin Simmons is expected to miss three to four weeks with a sprained ankle, and Richard Wesley is also sidelined. Texas, which normally leans on a dominant defense, now has to piece together answers against one of the most explosive offenses in the country.
The timing is not great for Texas, either. The Longhorns are coming off losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida, while Ole Miss enters the game at No. 7.
No. 19 Texas and No.
7 Ole Miss are set for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday, Oct. 24, on ABC.
For Texas, it is a chance to stop a dangerous Rebels offense. For Lacy, it is a shot at the school he once hoped would call.
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Arch Manning has been drawing a different kind of attention around Texas this week, and Steve Sarkisian noticed it during practice. After a rough stretch and a two-game losing streak, the Longhorns are looking for a spark from their quarterback, and Sarkisian said Manning has looked edgy in practice as the team tries to steady itself before Ole Miss.
Sarkisian sounded optimistic that Manning can turn that edge into production when it matters most. He also pointed to backup KJ Lacey as a steady presence behind the scenes, praising the freshman's solid play and coachability this season, a small but meaningful reminder that Texas is still trying to sort out its quarterback room while the pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
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Texas Heads Into Ole Miss Test With A Growing Availability Problem
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Ole Miss has its own problems, with multiple players listed as out or questionable as well, including offensive linemen and defensive backs. But for Texas, the bigger concern is how these absences shape the matchup in the trenches and on the edge, where missing bodies can quickly turn into missed opportunities and a longer day than expected. [Read more 🡒]