Lacy-Less in The Swamp: Ole Miss Star RB Kewan Lacy Ruled Out vs. Florida

No. 4 Ole Miss will be without its most dangerous runner in The Swamp. Star running back Kewan Lacy has been ruled out against No. 21 Florida because of a left shoulder injury. He was downgraded to out on the SEC’s final availability report Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, Rebels coach Pete Golding had told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Lacy wasn’t expected to play, adding, “We still have another chapel session, so I’m not giving up yet.”

Lacy was hurt in last week’s 32-24 win over then-No. 7 LSU. He ran for 43 yards and a touchdown on nine carries before leaving in the third quarter, then had X-rays after the game and an MRI on Sunday, according to ESPN. He went from questionable to doubtful on Friday’s SEC availability report and was ruled out Saturday.

Lacy is one of 10 Rebels ruled out on the final report, according to On3. Five are defensive backs: cornerbacks Cedrick Beavers, Dorian Barney and Victor Lincoln Jr. and safeties MJ Preston and Craig Tutt. Linebackers Ant Davis Jr. and JaMichael Garrett and offensive linemen Jalan Chapman and Emanuel Faulkner are also out.

Why it matters

Lacy is the engine of the Rebels’ ground game. The junior was an All-American and a Doak Walker Award finalist in 2025, when he set Ole Miss single-season records for carries (306), rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (24) in 15 games.

His 2026 season has already been interrupted once. A thigh bruise knocked him out of the opener against Louisville before he returned the next week to score twice against Charlotte. He has 191 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries this season.

Who replaces him

JT Lindsey and Makhi Frazier are expected to split the carries, ESPN reported. Lindsey (No. 26), a sophomore who transferred from LSU, has 48 yards on 12 attempts this season. Frazier (No. 25), a junior transfer from Michigan State, has 38 yards on nine carries.

Together they have 86 yards on 21 carries, about 4.1 yards per attempt. Lacy is averaging 4.9.

What it means for Florida

Without Lacy, Ole Miss loses the back who averaged just over 20 carries a game a year ago, and more of the load figures to shift to quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Franz Beard has argued that Florida’s best way to win is to keep the ball away from Chambliss.

Florida knows what Lacy can do. Last Nov. 15, he ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns in Ole Miss’ 34-24 win over the Gators in Oxford, breaking the school’s single-season rushing touchdown record that day, according to Ole Miss Athletics.

Ole Miss is thin on the back end, too. Five of its 10 players out are defensive backs, a secondary that Aaron Philo and Florida’s receivers figure to test.

Florida has an availability question of its own. Wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr., who has not played this season because of a sprained left ankle, is a game-time decision, though coach Jon Sumrall told ESPN he feels decent about Singleton’s chances. Singleton caught 58 passes for 534 yards and three touchdowns at Auburn in 2025. If Singleton can’t go, sophomore Vernell Brown III starts at Z with senior Bailey Stockton in the slot, according to On3.

Both teams are 3-0 and 1-0 in SEC play. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Who’s wearing No. 25 and No. 26 today? Look up any Florida or Ole Miss number with the Rosters & numbers button on the GatorBait homepage.

Editor’s note: GatorBait’s Buddy Martin, Franz Beard and Loren Meadows are at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with photographer Chris Spears. Follow along on our homepage through the final whistle.

This story was updated Saturday afternoon after Ole Miss ruled Lacy out on the SEC’s final availability report.

Information from ESPN, On3, Field Level Media and Ole Miss Athletics was used in this report.