Oklahoma DL Jacob Lacey announces decision to return to Sooners for 2024 season

Oklahoma defensive lineman Jacob Lacey is returning to school for another season, he announced on Friday. Lacey shared the news on Twitter.

“Built by Adversity, but ain’t nothing hard about making this choice! #Boomer,” he posted.

Jacob Lacey appeared in all 12 games for Oklahoma this season, recording 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

The Kentucky native made an impact for the Sooners after transferring in from Notre Dame this offseason. He is a former four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 24 defensive lineman and No. 171 overall player in the country in the class of 2019, according to the On3 Industry rankings.

Lacey came in and immediately made an impact for the Fighting Irish after signing with Notre Dame in 2019. As a freshman, he played in 11 games, finishing with 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

In 2020, Lacey played in 11 games and recorded four tackles and one tackle for loss.

As a junior in 2021, he had 12 tackles and 2 tackles for loss in 11 games. Lacey only appeared in four games as a senior in order to preserve his redshirt. He had 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks before eventually transferring to Oklahoma.

More on the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the first round on Thursday, April 25, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, April 27.

Players will have the opportunity to solidify their draft stock at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from February 26 through March 4.

The three-day event will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility.

Last season, 69 players were granted special eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft. 13 underclassmen who had completed their college degrees were also deemed eligible to be selected.

The deadline to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft is on January 15. NFL teams will receive a full list of eligible players in the class on January 19.