Lane Kiffin evaluates very competitive Ole Miss RB room after latest scrimmage

It’s a new-look group of running backs for Ole Miss this season. The Rebels are without their top four leading rushers from a year ago, meaning they’ll have to rely on some fresh faces to move the ball on the ground.

Logan Diggs is expected to carry some of the load after missing all but the bowl game from the 2024 season due to a knee injury. Coach Lane Kiffin was complimentary of him as well as incoming transfer Kewan Lacy.

“Kewan coming in has been electric,” Kiffin said after the team’s recent scrimmage. “Done some really good things. I think it’s a very completive group. A group that can run and catch and pass protect. Logan Diggs has done a good job and the newcomers filtering in there has made it really competitive and a lot to look at.”

Lacy is a former four-star recruit who saw limited action as a true freshman at Missouri this past season. He appeared in six games to finish with 104 yards rushing on 23 carries.

Diggs began his college career at Notre Dame and had his best season as a sophomore to finish with 822 yards rushing and four touchdowns in addition to 10 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He then transferred to LSU for the 2023 season.

Diggs had another solid year with the Tigers as he rushed for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in the bowl game that would require surgery.

Now Ole Miss could lean on him in the backfield this upcoming season. But him missing last season brings questions about how much of a workload he can handle right away.

Lacy and others will be expected to step in and help him out. The Rebels also added Damien Taylor, a transfer from Troy who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2024. He could also challenge both Diggins and Lacy for carries.

Finally, senior Domonique Thomas will bring a veteran presence to the room as he returns for his second year in Oxford. He is the team’s leading returning rusher after compiling 197 yards and a touchdown this past season.

Ultimately, that’s a solid group of running backs and we’ll likely see Ole Miss take some sort of committee approach for the season opener against Georgia State on Aug. 30. Perhaps one player can separate themselves from the rest as the year goes on.