Kewan Lacy suffered a thigh bruise against Louisville and missed most of the second half. He played limited snaps against Charlotte in Week 2 and is now expected to play on September 19 against LSU. The timing puts attention on his former coach, Lane Kiffin, who returns to Oxford this weekend, but Lacy isn’t too worried.
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Lacy and Kiffin were together for only one season, in 2025 at Ole Miss. Lacy arrived from Missouri and became the running back in Kiffin’s offense. That year turned into a breakout for him, which is why this reunion feels personal. Lacy has spoken about his relationship with Kiffin right now, revealing what he’s truly focused on.
“Really don’t have a relationship with him. Just focused on the season,” Lacy said on September 15, during Ole Miss’s weekly media availability.
Lacy had the chance to follow Kiffin through the transfer portal, but he did not take it. After Pete Golding took over as Ole Miss head coach, he sat Lacy and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss down in his office.
Golding had both players Google “Lane Kiffin” so they could see how fast Ole Miss fans had turned on the coach who had just left.
“Football’s gonna end. What are you going to use? You gotta use an alumni base to be able to get you a job. Where are you gonna bring your kids to? What jersey are they wearing?” Golding laid out the pitch in plain terms at SEC Media Days. “Y’all two created a legacy in one season that’s gonna be hard for anybody to overtake, and for what’s going on now, for Coach Kiffin to leave — go Google Lane Kiffin. I had them both do it in my office. Google Lane Kiffin, the dude they’d have built a statue of here three days ago.”
Lacy later said that talk “most definitely” made a difference and put the idea of legacy in perspective.
What followed that decision was the best year of Lacy’s career. In 2025, he had 306 carries for 1,567 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. He added 29 catches for 177 yards. That added up to 1,744 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns.
He set Ole Miss single-season records for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and non-kicker scoring. He was a first-team All-American and a Doak Walker Award finalist.
Not everyone made the same call Lacy did. Kiffin left after Ole Miss went 11-1 in the regular season. The full 2025 season ended 13-2, with Golding coaching the College Football Playoff games.
Kiffin was making $9 million a year at Ole Miss. LSU signed him to a seven-year deal worth $91 million, with a clause that would make him the highest-paid coach in college football if he wins a national championship.
LSU also agreed to cover up to $1 million in Ole Miss postseason bonuses. Princewill Umanmielen, TJ Dottery, Winston Watkins, and Devin Harper followed him. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and running backs coach Kevin Smith went too.
That exit still sits over this week. Kiffin left an 11-1 team right before the playoff. Fans gathered at the University-Oxford Airport and jeered him as he boarded. Kiffin later said some fans tried to run his vehicle off the road while he drove there with his son. Mississippi Highway Patrol said it had no record of that specific incident and noted he had an official escort.
“I guess there’s real safety issues and stuff. So, there’s people that have a plan for that. It is what it is,” Kiffin addressed the return on September 14, 2026, in Baton Rouge. “You don’t have anything to worry about as far as attention on you all week. There’s just going to be so much attention, hatred, everything on me. You just get to go play.”
More than 140 officers will work Friday and Saturday. Louisiana State Police, Mississippi Highway Patrol, and LSU officials have coordinated plans. Officials have asked fans to show Southern hospitality and keep the focus on the field.
LSU and Ole Miss play for the Magnolia Bowl trophy in one of the SEC’s oldest rivalries. LSU leads the series 64-43-4. Ole Miss won the last meeting 24-19 in Oxford in 2025. Lacy scored a rushing touchdown in that game.
No. 7 LSU (2-0) visits No. 8 Ole Miss (2-0) on September 19. It is the first Magnolia Bowl with both teams in the AP Top 10 since 1962.