LSU's Lane Kiffin still a big threat in stealing Ole Miss's top RB talent Kewan Lacy

Lane Kiffin built one of the finest rosters in the country during his time at Ole Miss. No wonder he wants that at LSU as well.

And the easiest way to get there would be poaching the elite talent at Ole Miss he is already familiar with.

Enter star running back Kewan Lacy. The Dallas native's performance this season is reason enough why Kiffin wouldn't mind pulling some sly tricks up his sleeve to get him to LSU next season.

Why Lane Kiffin lost his best chance

Kiffin's best trick is rumored to be poaching the Ole Miss coach Lacy is closest to and believes in most: Kiffin's long-time assistant RB coach Kevin Smith.

The Tigers showed apparent interest in Smith and tried their best to get him to a place in Baton Rouge as well. Lacy's surprising success at Ole Miss was largely credited to Smith coaching him in mere months.

Lacy transferred from Missouri to Ole Miss in January 2025 and has been under Smith's wing ever since. The level of success Lacy had with Smith's training makes him considering leaving for LSU very believable, if Smith were to accept a position there.

That is one of the primary reasons why LSU has been hot on Smith's trail, showing significant interest in getting him on board in the next season.

Smith not signing his contract extension with Ole Miss is a positive sign for Kiffin's poaching attempts coming to fruition.

On Wednesday, Michal Kaltz of the Daily Journal reported that Ole Miss had signed term sheets with the majority of Ole Miss assistant coaches, except Smith and a few others.

"I was sent the most recent contracts for current assistants. All of them were recently updated EXCEPT Joyner's, Judge's and Smith's," Kaltz wrote.

Only time will tell which side Lacy will be playing for when LSU visits Ole Miss for both teams' SEC schedule opener game in 2026.