Ole Miss Star Stays Put
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy made headlines by turning down lucrative transfer offers to remain with the Rebels — a move celebrated by the program as a testament to team loyalty amid the evolving nature of college football recruitment. No. 17 Alabama is set to visit No. 22 Tennessee after Amari Allen's 23-point performance in a key SEC game with postseason implications.
Kewan Lacy's decision to stay follows a breakout 2025 season where he amassed 1,744 total yards and 24 touchdowns, earning First-Team All-SEC honors and becoming a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back. His performance was a key factor in Ole Miss's 13-2 record and run to the College Football Playoff semifinals. A highly-touted four-star recruit from Lancaster, Texas, Lacy initially played for Missouri, where he saw limited action as a freshman with 104 rushing yards in six games before transferring to Ole Miss. His departure from Missouri and subsequent success at Ole Miss highlight the significant impact of the transfer portal on player careers and team fortunes. The backdrop to Lacy's decision includes major coaching changes, with head coach Lane Kiffin leaving for LSU after the regular season. This move fueled speculation that key players like Lacy might follow him, especially after running backs coach Kevin Smith also joined the LSU staff. Reports surfaced that Ole Miss offered Lacy a historic NIL package worth around $1.8 million to secure his return for the 2026 season. This figure underscores the high financial stakes involved in retaining top talent in the current landscape of college athletics. In SEC basketball, the No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-7, 11-4 SEC) and No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 10-5 SEC) are set for a crucial conference battle. The matchup has significant implications for seeding in the upcoming SEC Tournament, which will be held from March 4-8 in Greenville, S.C. This is the second meeting between the two teams this season; Tennessee won the first contest 79-73 in Tuscaloosa on January 25. The Volunteers have dominated the recent series, winning the last five consecutive games against the Crimson Tide. Alabama was notably without freshman forward Amari Allen in that loss due to injury. Allen, who averages 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, is coming off a 23-point performance where he hit six three-pointers against Mississippi State. In the January game, Tennessee's Nate Ament scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Volunteers to victory. Alabama's offense, which averages 92.9 points per game, was held to one of its lower outputs by the Tennessee defense.
