One year ago, Kewan Lacy finished his freshman campaign at Missouri with just 104 rushing yards and 0 touchdowns.
After transferring to Ole Miss one season later, he rushed for 108 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first game as a Rebel against Georgia State.
That’s how fast things can change in the world of college football.
Lacy’s flip from freshman to sophomore year proves that the transfer portal is important to the players. He’s always had the talent, he just needed the platform to showcase it.
After the conclusion of one of the greatest running back seasons in Ole Miss and SEC history, Lacy has the Rebels set to compete in their first ever college football playoff game at home against Tulane, who they blew out 45-10 earlier in the season.
The destination is beautiful but the journey to get here has been challenging.
Lacy is a former four-star recruit from Dallas, Texas. He originally committed to Nebraska but reopened his recruitment and later committed to Mizzou.
His freshman season was forgettable and he entered the transfer portal following the ending of the 2024 campagin. Then he made one of the best decisions of his young career by transferring to Ole Miss.
A big part of Lacy’s decision to come to the Sip was due to former head coach, Lane Kiffin.
“What brought me here was the coaching,” says Lacy.
This high octane, fast paced offense intrigued the young bell-cow and at the helm was one of the greatest offensive minds in the sport.
Together, these two would make history in a cinderella-like story for the 2025 Rebels. Unfortunately, only one of them would consistently make headlines.
Kiffin’s contract with Ole Miss was coming to an end this year and that seemed to be the only thing the media wanted to cover pertaining to the Rebels.
Even though Trinidad Chambliss made a huge impact moving from Division II to the SEC, Lacy is tied for ninth-most rushing touchdowns in SEC history with 20, and the Rebels had a program best record of 11-1, Kiffin’s potential coaching change overshadowed the Rebels’ star players’ national recognition.
While it wasn’t Kiffin’s fault, it is unfortunate that players like Chambliss and Lacy didn’t get all of the credit they deserved, as many believed they deserved more respect in the Heisman conversation. To top it all off, Kiffin abruptly left Ole Miss for SEC rival, LSU.
When former defensive coordinator, Pete Golding, was announced as the new head coach of the Rebels, many spectators thought this would affect Ole Miss’ CFP bid. Fortunately, it didn’t, and the Rebels are locked in ahead of their first ever playoff appearance.
When asked how the transition has been from Kiffin to Golding, Lacy stated, “It’s been pretty good, I still have my coach.” This has been the norm around the Ole Miss locker room. They are focused on the prize and not the person.
Everybody has bought into Golding’s philosophies, and he’s done a phenomenal job taking over a team that just lost its coach weeks ahead of their first-ever playoff appearance.
While Kiffin was around for Lacy’s eruption of a sophomore season, which included 258 carries for 1,279 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns (which led the SEC), Lacy put the work in and made this happen.
Despite not being a Heisman finalist, Lacy did receive numerous other achievements and accolades. He earned First-Team All-SEC honors, AP First Team All-American honors, and was a finalist for awards like the Earl Campbell and Doak Walker Awards.
While Lacy didn’t come away with any individual hardware, it’s safe to assume he’s just fine because his eyes are on the National Championship trophy.
There is some speculation that following the Rebels’ season Lacy might enter the portal and reunite with coach Kiffin. Through all of the noise Lacy is staying where his feet are and not getting too ahead of himself.
Ole Miss’ season has been full of rumors, headlines and speculation. Through all of the drama, most of the players have remained faithful to the brotherhood they’ve formed and are focused on the task at hand.
Fans will finally get to see just how far Chambliss and Lacy can lead Ole Miss.
The future is unwritten for Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy but both parties are undoubtedly on a promising path.
His past molded him into the player he is today, cementing himself as one of the best running backs in the country.
As for the present, Lacy is ready to defend home turf as the No. 6 Rebels prepare to host No. 11 Tulane.
It’s crazy what a difference a year can make and the past year for Kewan Lacy has shown his unwavering resilience to his craft.
