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This summertime we’ll beryllium exploring nan apical 10 violative and protect players Mizzou shot is slated to look this fall. We’re not ranking them 1-10, it’s overmuch much technological past that (or linguistic since we are conscionable ordering them alphabetically.) We’re halfway done nan TTOP workout for 2026 and we’ve yet deed a erstwhile Tiger connected nan list. Before we jump into that, return a look astatine our first 4 TTOP here:
School: Ole Miss (by measurement of Mizzou)
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Position: RB
Class: Junior
Height: 5-11
Weight: 205 lbs.
Mizzou fans do not request an preamble to Kewan Lacy. The erstwhile Tigers moving backmost spent his freshman play successful Columbia earlier transferring to Ole Miss, and while his clip astatine Mizzou was brief, it offered plentifulness of grounds that he possessed prima potential. Two years later, that imaginable has go reality.
After a breakout sophomore run that helped powerfulness Ole Miss to nan College Football Playoff semifinals, Lacy enters nan 2026 play arsenic 1 of nan astir move moving backs successful nan state and 1 of nan biggest challenges connected Mizzou’s schedule.
Following nan 2024 play successful Columbia, Lacy transferred to Ole Miss, wherever he quickly recovered a larger domiciled successful nan Rebels’ offense. The move paid contiguous dividends. As a sophomore successful 2025, Lacy exploded onto nan nationalist scene. He rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging much than 5 yards per carry. He added different 29 receptions for 177 yards, giving Ole Miss a existent every-down limb successful nan backfield.
Alongside backmost Trinidad Chambliss, Lacy became 1 of nan driving forces down Ole Miss’ tally to nan nationalist semifinals. While Chambliss received overmuch of nan nationalist attention, Lacy’s expertise to power games connected nan crushed helped support defenses honorable and allowed nan Rebels’ discourtesy to run astatine an elite level.
His operation of speed, equilibrium and home-run expertise made him 1 of nan SEC’s astir vulnerable violative players. Few backs generated explosive runs arsenic consistently arsenic Lacy did passim nan season.
The speech entering 2026 is simple: who is nan champion moving backmost successful assemblage football? For galore observers, nan statement comes down to 2 names: Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy. When healthy, Hardy has a morganatic case, arsenic does Lacy.
The erstwhile Tiger enters nan play arsenic a preseason All-American campaigner and 1 of nan favorites to gain first-team All-SEC honors. He returns to an Ole Miss discourtesy that should erstwhile again beryllium among nan astir explosive successful nan conference, peculiarly pinch Chambliss backmost nether center.
What makes Lacy truthful vulnerable is his versatility. He tin grind retired reliable yards betwixt nan tackles, create explosive plays connected nan perimeter and lend arsenic a receiver retired of nan backfield. Defenses that perpetrate excessively galore resources to stopping Chambliss consequence getting gashed by Lacy. Defenses that attraction connected Lacy unfastened passing lanes for nan Rebels’ prima quarterback.
Regardless of wherever personification falls successful nan Hardy-versus-Lacy debate, 1 point is clear: Mizzou’s coaching unit knows really to place elite moving backmost talent.
When Mizzou travels to Oxford this season, nan storyline practically writes itself. The Tigers will beryllium facing 1 of their own.
Lacy’s transportation from Columbia to Ole Miss has added different furniture of intrigue to a matchup that already features playoff implications. While location is nary shortage of talent connected nan Rebels’ roster, fewer players will bid much attraction from Corey Batoon’s defense than nan erstwhile Tiger moving back.
Containing Lacy is easier said than done. His patience and imagination let him to find creases that look closed, while his acceleration turns regular runs into explosive gains. Missed tackles are peculiarly vulnerable because Lacy has shown nan expertise to people from anyplace connected nan field.
For Mizzou, nan situation to incorporate him originates up beforehand wherever nan Tigers must triumph astatine nan statement of scrimmage and debar allowing Ole Miss to enactment up of schedule. If Lacy is consistently uncovering occurrence connected first down, it becomes astir intolerable to take sides nan afloat breadth of nan Rebels’ discourtesy pinch Chambliss besides threatening defenses done nan air.
There will beryllium nary shortage of emotion erstwhile Lacy lines up against his erstwhile team. But erstwhile nan shot is snapped, sentiment disappears. Mizzou will beryllium tasked pinch slowing 1 of nan nation’s elite moving backs, and a subordinate galore judge belongs successful nan aforesaid speech arsenic Ahmad Hardy atop nan sport’s hierarchy.
School: Mississippi State
Hometown: Clarksdale, Miss.
Position: CB
Class: RS Junior
Height: 6-4
Weight: 195 lbs.
Every year, a fistful of young players look from comparative obscurity to go stars. Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones fresh that explanation successful 2025, turning a promising freshman run into a breakout sophomore play that established him arsenic 1 of nan SEC’s apical screen corners.
Now entering 2026, Jones is looking to return different measurement guardant arsenic 1 of nan galore members of nan TTOP who burst onto nan nationalist segment past season. Jones arrived astatine Mississippi State pinch awesome beingness devices and quickly developed into 1 of nan Bulldogs’ astir important protect players. At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, he possesses uncommon size for a cornerback, giving him a earthy advantage against larger receivers connected nan perimeter.
The Clarksdale, Mississippi, autochthonal enjoyed a breakout sophomore play successful 2025, earning third-team All-SEC honors aft becoming 1 of nan conference’s amended screen defenders. Jones vanished nan twelvemonth pinch 34 tackles, 2 interceptions and 11 walk breakups while routinely drafting immoderate of nan toughest assignments connected Mississippi State’s schedule.
His size instantly stands out, but it is his activity skills that make him specified a difficult matchup. Receivers who deliberation they person created separation often observe that Jones’ magnitude allows him to retrieve and title throws that galore cornerbacks cannot reach. Combined pinch awesome speed, he has developed into nan type of defender quarterbacks must relationship for earlier each snap.
The consequence was a play that firmly placed him among nan SEC’s rising stars and gave Mississippi State a existent lockdown area connected nan outside.
The expectations surrounding Jones are importantly higher entering 2026. After earning third-team All-SEC nickname past season, he appears poised to situation for a spot connected 1 of nan conference’s first 2 teams this fall. The beingness floor plan is already NFL-caliber, and different play of accumulation could elevate him into early-round draught discussions.
Jones’ biggest spot remains his expertise to erase receivers successful man coverage. At 6-foot-4, he tin lucifer up pinch larger possession receivers while still possessing nan velocity basal to enactment attached to vertical routes. That operation is uncommon moreover among SEC protect backs.
Opposing offenses will apt trial him little often this season, which could limit his counting statistics. However, cornerbacks are often judged arsenic overmuch by nan passes that are ne'er thrown arsenic nan ones they defend. If Jones continues to unit quarterbacks to look elsewhere, Mississippi State’s defense should use significantly.
A twelvemonth aft announcing himself arsenic 1 of nan league’s champion young protect backs, Jones enters 2026 pinch an opportunity to found himself among nan SEC’s elite.
Jones faced Mizzou past season, but nan crippled ne'er developed into nan type of matchup that would let a cornerback to predominate nan container score.
He vanished pinch conscionable 3 tackles successful what was 1 of his quieter statistical performances of nan season. That had acold much to do pinch Mizzou’s crippled scheme than Jones’ effectiveness.
The Tigers ran for much than 300 yards and mostly abandoned nan passing crippled successful nan 2nd half arsenic nan rushing onslaught many times gashed Mississippi State’s defense. With freshman backmost Matt Zollers nether center, Mizzou had small logic to situation Jones consistently done nan aerial erstwhile nan crushed crippled was producing explosive plays and moving nan chains.
This year’s matchup could coming a different challenge. Austin Simmons will beryllium starring Chip Lindsey’s offense, and Mizzou’s passing onslaught figures to beryllium overmuch much precocious than it was during past season’s gathering (also nan 300-yard man, Ahmad Hardy’s wellness is up successful nan aerial astatine this point.) That intends Jones whitethorn beryllium tested much often erstwhile nan Bulldogs and Tigers meet successful 2026.
The situation for Mizzou is obvious. Jones’ operation of size, magnitude and velocity allows him to broad receivers and shrink throwing windows. Quarterbacks seldom get easy completions against him, and his expertise to disrupt passes astatine nan drawback constituent makes each propulsion contested.
The Tigers successfully avoided him for overmuch of past year’s matchup by leaning connected nan moving game. Whether that strategy remains disposable this play will spell a agelong measurement toward determining really overmuch power 1 of nan SEC’s apical cornerbacks has connected nan outcome.
