Sources: Ole Miss RB Lacy to miss rest of season; could return or enter draft
Mark SchlabachNov 12, 2026, 01:44 PM ET
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy will miss the rest of the season with a left shoulder injury, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
Lacy, who came into the season as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, missed the No. 19 Rebels' past two games after he dislocated his shoulder in a 34-27 loss at Texas on Oct. 24.
Ole Miss had already announced that Lacy won't play in Saturday's game at Oklahoma on the SEC's initial availability report.
The junior ran for 388 yards with five touchdowns on 78 carries in six games.
Lacy, who has one season of college eligibility remaining, could remain at Ole Miss for one more season or transfer to another FBS school to try to improve his NFL draft stock.
He also could enter the 2027 NFL draft. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Lacy as the fifth-best running back available, while ESPN's Jordan Reid ranks him as the No. 42 overall prospect.
Last season, Lacy ran for 1,567 yards with 24 touchdowns while helping lead the Rebels to an unexpected run to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Lacy then re-signed with the Rebels as they won a recruiting battle with former coach Lane Kiffin and LSU.
With Lacy sidelined, freshman Shekai Mills-Knight is expected to have an even bigger role in the Ole Miss offense. He was the Rebels' leading rusher in the past two games, running for 71 yards with one score in a 45-15 victory against Auburn and 52 yards with one touchdown in a 42-7 loss to Georgia last week.
Mills-Knight, from Montreal, played at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was the No. 3 player in the state in the Class of 2025 by ESPN Recruiting.
Junior Makhi Frazier, who has run for 365 yards this season, has also seen an increased role.
On3 first reported that Lacy would miss the rest of the season.
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