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The Ole Miss Rebels had perhaps their best season in program history, but it still was not a success for Kewan Lacy.

"I grade it based off of that - that the ultimate prize wasn't won," the star running back told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

In any case, though, the Rebels were able to get through the distraction and fiasco that was Lane Kiffin leaving Oxford to join LSU just before the playoffs started. At any point during the postseason, the team had no idea which assistants would be on the sidelines, as many of them joined Kiffin at LSU.

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Kewan Lacy of the Mississippi Rebels tries to run past Cale Williams of the Citadel Bulldogs during the first quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, on Nov. 8, 2025. (Jason Clark/Getty Images)

"We still came up short in the season. The main goal is to get to that national title. But we never really let the outside noise get to us. We just tried to focus on game by game," Lacy added.

"It’s a part of football now. There's a business aspect of it so everybody has to do what they have to do. But I feel like we just have to go out there and do what we needed to do, because at the end of the day we're on the field and playing football, whether our coaches are there or not, or under any other circumstances, you still have to go out there and play football. So, at the end of the day, I feel like we just took that mindset and came out there to compete."

In hopes of a national title, Lacy will be sporting the Q-Collar, the first and only FDA-cleared sports equipment proven to help protect the brain from the effects of repetitive head impacts. The Q-Collar is worn around the neck and applies light pressure to help limit brain movement during football-related head movements.

Old Miss running back Kewan Lacy will be sporting the Q-Collar this season. (Q-Collar)

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Moms know best, as it was Lacy's mother who actually found the Q-Collar and recommended it to Lacy.

"She found it, she saw other players playing with it, and she brought it to my attention and did a little digging and research, and she thought it would just be beneficial for me and my brother to wear it," Lacy said. "It’s helped me a lot, just trying to find different ways to protect myself, be as sharp as I can on the field and just maximize my playing time or the time I have on the field.

"I feel like there's so much more out there that we can do to better help us as athletes to protect our bodies. Equipment like the Q-Collar, it's the start of finding different ways we can be more safe and help play longer in the game."

Already an All-American, Lacy now has a bit of extra protection to gain a few more yards in the trenches. With "special talent" Trinidad Chambliss back, along with a lot of returning players, the expectations are high for Lacy and the Rebels.

"Going into this year with our new staff we got and all the new pieces we have, I feel like we just got to take it game by game, and this year I feel like we can go even farther," he said.

Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss carries the ball for a touchdown against Miami in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8, 2026. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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"We can finish the deal. I just can't wait."

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