No. 1 RB Named ‘Most Lethal Playmaker’ for Major College Football Program

After a dominant 1,567-yard, 24-touchdown campaign that helped power a College Football Playoff run, one elite running back enters the new season as the sport’s most lethal offensive weapon.

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy (5) runs for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Several of the top playmakers from the 2025 college football season remain eligible or have announced their returns, positioning themselves to anchor their teams again in 2026.

Ohio State’s big, physical boundary target Jeremiah Smith closed 2025 with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, stepping into a clear No. 1 role and giving the Buckeyes a reliable downfield weapon.

Miami’s breakout true freshman Malachi Toney rewrote program rookie records with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, collecting ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC honors while finishing among the nation’s receiving leaders.

Florida State’s transfer-turned-star Duce Robinson produced 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six scores and returns as a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and team captain.

South Carolina’s vertical threat, Nyck Harbor, made chunk plays all season, finishing with 30 receptions for 618 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 20.6 yards per catch, and remains one of the SEC’s most dangerous deep threats.

Together, these returning weapons ensure that 2026 will once again be defined by proven game-breakers.

And on Thursday, CBS Sports added another name to that conversation: Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, who On3 recently pegged as their top-ranked RB for 2026.

In its latest roundup of college football’s most lethal playmakers entering 2026, CBS Sports framed the upcoming season as one shaped by elite returners capable of immediately tilting team ceilings, and Lacy’s 2025 production made him impossible to overlook.

Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Tulane Green Wave | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Lacy finished 2025 as one of the country’s most productive backs: 306 carries for 1,567 rushing yards (third nationally) and 24 rushing touchdowns (second) across 15 games, while adding 29 receptions for 177 receiving yards.

Those totals placed him among the FBS leaders in both volume and scoring, earned him first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC honors, and reinforced why he was the engine behind Ole Miss’s historic offensive surge last fall.

And Lacy won’t be alone.

Ole Miss also returns quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, the catalyst who helped orchestrate the attack. Chambliss was recently granted a preliminary injunction by a Mississippi judge preserving his eligibility for 2026 while his waiver battle with the NCAA continues, a significant legal victory that maintains continuity at the sport’s most critical position.

However, the Rebels must follow up their College Football Playoff run without offensive architect Lane Kiffin, who departed for LSU after the regular season. His exit forces a schematic transition even as much of the program’s premier talent remains in place.

Still, Lacy enters 2026 as one of the most valuable returning playmakers in college football. His heavy workload, elite scoring rate, and ability to generate production in high-leverage moments are traits that tend to translate, even amid staff change.

Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) and head coach Lane Kiffin celebrate after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images