Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy poised to return from shoulder injury this week vs. Vanderbilt
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After a 52-28 defeat to then-No. 21 Florida slowed the roll of now-No. 9 Ole Miss in Week 4, the Rebels got the chance to recalibrate during an off week.
A defensive reset was in order, but Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC) also gained valuable time to prepare for the return of an integral offensive weapon.
Running back Kewan Lacy, the nation's third-leading rusher last season who suffered a shoulder injury in a win over then-No. 7 LSU on Sept. 19, is expected back in the Rebels' backfield for Saturday's road game versus Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2).
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding told reporters Monday that Lacy rested all of last week while rehabbing before finally practicing again Sunday night.
"Practiced last night, came back, did individual, did some team sessions," Golding said. "Obviously a lot of that was non-contact last night, but fully anticipate having him this week."
Without Lacy, the Rebels faltered against a Florida team that ascended to No. 8 in the AP poll prior to a 45-17 loss to then-No. 25 Missouri this past Saturday.
In Ole Miss' setback versus the upstart Gators, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the team with 44 rushing yards. He also notched a pair of scores on the ground. That day, the Rebels' RB workload was divvied up like this: Makhi Frazier registered 42 yards on eight totes, JT Lindsey had 31 yards on 11 carries and Joshua Dye picked up 11 yards on his lone rushing attempt.
"I think JT continues to go to work," Golding said Monday. "I think he's a very explosive player. I think Makhi runs the football extremely hard. Obviously, that game wasn't everything that we wanted it to be, but I think they came to work last week as well. Same thing with Josh. So that's going to be a constant rotation based on how [Kewan] is and how healthy he is."
Golding added: "But even coming back, [Kewan's] not going to take the toll of 40 to 50 snaps and all those things. So those guys got to be able to come in and execute and play efficiently, which I think they will."
Last season, Lacy ranked third nationally with 1,567 rushing yards. He was second with 24 rushing touchdowns. He set those program-record-breaking marks in his first season after transferring from Missouri.
Now in Year 2 with the Rebels, Lacy has 191 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns through three games.
The left shoulder he injured versus LSU last month is the same one he had offseason surgery on, according to the Clarion Ledger, which also noted that Lacy has been playing through a thigh bruise he sustained in a season-opening win over then-No. 24 Louisville.
Lacy entered the 2026 campaign as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
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