Missouri football rookie running back is entering portal. Here’s what that means for MU

Posted by Admin December 16, 2024 Football

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Another promising member of Mizzou’s Class of 2024 is moving on after just one season.

Missouri football true freshman running back Kewan Lacy is entering the transfer portal, per a Monday morning report from On3’s Hayes Fawcett, which Lacy reposted to his Instagram account. Lacy appeared in five games for the Tigers this season, which burned a redshirt, and appeared to be in a good position to play a prominent role in the lineup next year.

But Lacy, like several other top members in his class, is now planning to move on from Mizzou. He will have three remaining years of eligibility.

As of Monday morning, five members of Missouri’s Class of 2024 have either transferred or announced their intention to transfer. Defensive ends Jaylen Brown and Williams Nwaneri have announced transfers to South Carolina and Nebraska, respectively, while Lacy, quarterback Aidan Glover and punter Will Safris are in the portal database.

Lacy may very well be the most surprising announcement to date.

The tailback showed promising bursts over the course of his five appearances, and not just relief, late-game appearances. He took 22 carries for 99 yards over the season, which is 4.5 yards per handoff, and his best showing came in a second half drive against South Carolina, when he picked up back-to-back first downs in Gamecocks territory to set up a Marcus Carroll touchdown.

Lacy was a late-cycle pickup for the Tigers in the Class of 2024, as Mizzou beat out Ole Miss to his signature last December, shortly before early signing day. The running back had previously been committed to Nebraska.

His impending exit changes the scope of Missouri’s running back room for 2025, and thus the Tigers’ portal strategy until the December window closes on the 28th.

Mizzou is set to lose primary running backs Nate Noel and Carroll to eligibility. With Lacy in the transfer portal, Mizzou can now return Jamal Roberts, Tavorus Jones and Austyn Dendy. Mizzou signed two running backs to its Class of 2025: four-star prospect Marquise Davis and three-star signee Brendon Haygood.

Roberts is the only player among those three with extensive in-game collegiate experience, although Jones has made multiple relief appearances over three seasons in Columbia.

That means the Tigers are now likely to look for a tailback with instant starting potential, which places running back near the top of the priority list over the next two weeks.

Some of the top available players, according to On3’s transfer portal rankings, include South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell, Washington State’s Wayshawn Parker and Army running back Kanye Udoh.

Missouri has added two players to the roster in the first week of the transfer portal. Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman committed to the Tigers on Saturday, and Northern Illinois safety Santana Banner confirmed to the Tribune on Monday morning that he is transferring to the Tigers.