From 23 carries at Missouri to 24 touchdowns at Ole Miss. Kewan Lacy broke every record in sight and turned down the portal to run it back.
The number
24 — Rushing touchdowns in 2025. A single-season Ole Miss record, surpassing Quinshon Judkins' previous mark of 16.
The vitals
Height/Weight: 5-11, 210
Class: Junior
Hometown: Lancaster (Dallas), Texas
Jersey: No. 5
Recruiting class: 2024 — 4-star, No. 15 RB nationally (247Sports)
Track speed: 10.45-second 100m (Texas 6A state champion)
The resume
2024 (Missouri): 23 rush att, 104 yds, 4.5 YPC, 0 TD, 2 rec, 9 rec yds, 113 all-purpose
2025 (Ole Miss): 306 rush att, 1,567 yds, 5.1 YPC, 24 TD, 29 rec, 177 rec yds, 1,744 all-purpose
Career: 329 rush att, 1,671 yds, 5.1 YPC, 24 TD, 31 rec, 186 rec yds, 1,857 all-purpose
Awards (2025): FWAA first-team All-American. AP second-team All-American. First-team All-SEC (AP and coaches). Doak Walker Award finalist — the first in Ole Miss history. Fifth player in SEC history to reach 23 rushing touchdowns in a season, joining Derrick Henry, Najee Harris, Tim Tebow and Tre Mason.
The tape
What he does well:
- Elite yards after contact — 1,010 in 2025 (2nd in Power Four per PFF)
- 89 forced missed tackles (2nd in Power Four per PFF)
- Led college football in rushing first downs — the most reliable chain-mover in the sport
- Explosive through the hole with sub-4.5 speed and a track background
- Reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield (29 catches in 2025)
Where he's limited:
- Workload durability is the question — 306 carries is a heavy load for a sophomore frame
- Tweaked his hamstring on a 73-yard touchdown run in the Fiesta Bowl
- Bruised his AC joint in the CFP first round against Tulane
PFF rushing grade (2025): 91.6 — 6th nationally
In his own words
On his role at Ole Miss:
"We take running in general as, we have to take pride in that. So, I feel like that just them leaning on me is just ... my job I have to do. So, I feel like it's my responsibility here: run the ball."
— The Commercial Dispatch
On staying at Ole Miss after Kiffin left for LSU:
"It was a lot of factors that came into it. There was a lot of schools, great opportunities. But I just felt like what we've built at Ole Miss is remarkable. The people we got coming back, we've got Trinidad coming back, the receivers, and then the people we got out of the portal for the defense, I just feel like we're building something special. I trust Pete to lead us in the right direction."
— SI.com, from Netflix's "The White House with Michael Irvin"
On Kiffin's departure:
"I talked to him before he left a little bit but he didn't really say he was leaving."
— Pro Football Network
What the coaches said
Lane Kiffin, former Ole Miss head coach (after the Florida game):
"Give him the ball 31 times. So you know, he's elite."
— The Rebel Walk, November 2025
Pete Golding, Ole Miss head coach (after the Fiesta Bowl):
"There's a difference between hurting and being injured. A lot of them were hurting, and a lot of them went out of the game, but they found their way back into the game."
— Saturday Down South, January 2026
The story
A year ago, Kewan Lacy was a freshman at Missouri with 23 carries and zero touchdowns. He had committed to Nebraska, decommitted, signed with Missouri and barely played.
Then he transferred to Ole Miss. And everything changed.
Lacy rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter — breaking Quinshon Judkins' single-season Ole Miss record for rushing touchdowns and finishing as a first-team All-American. He scored in 11 of 12 regular-season games. He ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns against Florida. He put up 143 against Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. He had a 73-yard touchdown run in the CFP semifinal against Miami before leaving with a hamstring tweak.
When Lane Kiffin left for LSU in late November, Lacy had every reason to follow. LSU reportedly offered. So did Texas. So did others. His NIL deal to stay at Ole Miss was reported at $1.8 million — a historic number for a running back.
He stayed.
"I just felt like what we've built at Ole Miss is remarkable," Lacy said. "I trust Pete to lead us in the right direction."
The coaching transition matters. Pete Golding was elevated from defensive coordinator. Offensive coordinator John David Baker was brought back. Roughly 80% of the offensive playbook carries over from the Kiffin era. New running backs coach Frank Wilson adds a new voice in Lacy's ear, but the scheme he thrived in remains largely intact.
The Heisman conversation has already started. ESPN, NCAA.com and On3 have all included Lacy on way-too-early Heisman watch lists. The QB-RB combination of Trinidad Chambliss and Lacy has been called one of the most dangerous backfields in college football.
Projections for the 2027 NFL Draft have him as a first-round talent. ESPN's latest mock has him 22nd overall to the Houston Texans. The NFL Consensus Big Board lists him at No. 30.
But that's all later. Right now, the question is simpler: can he do it again?
The verdict
Kewan Lacy went from a forgotten freshman at Missouri to the most productive running back in Ole Miss history in one season. The scheme didn't change. The quarterback came back. The NIL deal is signed. If he stays healthy, he's the most dangerous offensive weapon in the SEC — and the Heisman conversation is real.
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