Texas HC Steve Sarkisian in to see 2025 Longhorns QB commit K.J. Lacey

It’s state championship season in high school football, and a monumental clash between is going down on Friday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Alabama 6A crown.

Pinson Clay-Chalkville and Saraland are set to battle in Tuscaloosa, and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is in attendance to watch Saraland 2025 four-star quarterback and Longhorns commit K.J. Lacey.

Texas HC Steve Sarkisian in Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch Longhorn QB commit KJ Lacey pic.twitter.com/HbY8Wvs2zw

— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) December 8, 2023

Lacey is the No. 77 overall prospect and No. 6 signal-caller in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 7 player in Alabama.

He committed to the Longhorns on June 3, choosing them over the likes of Alabama, Florida State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon and others.

“So some of the main things that stood out to me about Texas were how much they value relationships,” Lacey told On3 upon his commitment. “What coach Sark and coach Milwee preached to me was that they don’t just offer quarterbacks because they are talented. They also want to know what type of person you are towards your teammates and peers and see if the leadership role comes to you naturally or not. They want to see if you are going to be on time with the weekly calls and see if you are taking them as seriously as they are taking you.”

Alabama has not let up in its pursuit of Lacey despite his commitment to Texas. The Crimson Tide currently have a pledge from Lacey’s teammate, Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Ryan Williams, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. Each are trying to recruit each other to their respective future schools.

“Really just the same way with the coaches; he’s not going to stop, just like I’m not going to stop recruiting him to Texas,” Lacey said of Williams to BamaOnLine.

Lacey is the only member of Texas’ 2025 class, as of Dec. 8. Williams, meanwhile, is already one of eight pledges for the Tide and headlines the top-ranked junior class in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Lacey has an On3 NIL Valuation of $257K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.