The Ole Miss Rebels really believe in running back Kewan Lacy.
Lacy, a former four-star recruit from Lancaster, Texas, transferred to Ole Miss after committing to the Missouri Tigers straight out of high school.
He notched just 23 carries for 104 yards as a freshman, so there weren’t high expectations for him when he arrived in Oxford.
With that said, it would have been easy to do anything and come away as a success in his sophomore season, but Lacy blew everyone and everything out of the water.
He rushed 306 times for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Rebels. He also caught 29 passes for 177 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per catch.
Lacy was a major part of the Rebels’ College Football Playoff push, and he’s expected to be just as important for head coach Pete Golding in 2026 as he heads into his first full season as the head man in Oxford.
Kewan Lacy could be the best back in CFB
Lacy is one of Ole Miss’ best players heading into this next season, but he’s not just one of the best players in Oxford or even one of the best running backs in the SEC.
He’s the best running back in the country, according to rankings recently released by Eli Lederman and Max Olsen of ESPN.
“Kewan is more elusive, he did more behind a worse offensive line, he’s got the home run ability, he can catch the ball and he’s a good pass protector,” a rival SEC director of player personnel told ESPN of Lacy. “He does everything you want.”
Lacy’s numbers were extremely impressive in 2025, but they’re even more notable when you dig into them. Consider the fact that 1,010 of his rushing yards came against SEC opponents. That included a 224-yard and three-touchdown performance against the Florida Gators in mid-November. He followed that up with 143 yards and a touchdown in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
The belief with Lacy is that as long as he stays healthy and keeps playing at this level, he’ll be the hands-down first running back selected in the 2027 NFL Draft.
“He’s No. 1 to me,” a former SEC staffer told ESPN. “For his size, doing all that stuff, it’s unbelievable.”
