What they’re saying: Reaction to Jacob Lacey leaving Notre Dame football
How much did Jacob Lacey mean to Notre Dame football? Ask his teammates and position coach.
Lacey released a lengthy social media message to announce his departure from the Fighting Irish program Thursday. He was in his fourth season in South Bend. The news sent shockwaves through the fan base, but those closest to Lacey seemed to handle it well. Several teammates reacted to the post, as did Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington.
“Family isn’t always blood, it’s those that will always be in your corner with Love,” senior defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah wrote in response to Lacey’s tweet. “Been my brother since we met at Stanford in 2017. I’m already knowing you destined for greatness bro. Hard to see you go but ready to see what God has planned for you brother.”
Osafo-Mensah signed off with a heart emoji.
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Junior defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, responded to Lacey with a heart emoji of his own and “gonna miss you man.” Graduate student defensive end Justin Ademilola responded with yet another heart emoji and a fingers crossed emoji.
Graduate student long snapper Michael Vinson quote-tweeted Lacey’s post with, “A true Notre Dame man and a lifelong brother” with a heart emoji. Washington wrote, “Lace Dog you will be missed in the room! Best of luck always here!” with a fist-up emoji.
On Sept. 21, just four days after Lacey recorded 2.0 sacks in a 24-17 win over California, the official Notre Dame football Twitter account tweeted a hype video of Lacey’s on-field exploits against the Bears. It included Lacey in the locker room after the game getting mobbed by excited teammates.
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“Who are you? Who are you?” one of his teammates screamed.
“I’m him,” Lacey responded.
The video ended with Lacey’s arms wrapped around the shoulders of two Irish teammates while they sang the school’s alma mater. Lacey said, “best feeling in the world, isn’t it?”
Lacey made it clear in his farewell message he has nothing but love for Notre Dame. Head coach Marcus Freeman made it sound like everyone still with the program is at peace with Lacey’s decision to move on mid-season, too.
Had Lacey played one more snap this year, he’d have burned one one of his final two years of eligibility. The Bowling Green, Ky., native will instead to his next destination with two full seasons left to play, clearly hoping for more action than he saw in just nine snaps in Notre Dame’s last game against North Carolina.
“Lacey was a great player who did a lot of great things for us,” Freeman said. “But it’s a deep position. He made a decision that ultimately was best for him. We respect it. We love Jacob, and the best thing about it is he leaves here with a degree in his hand. That’s what I want for these young men. If you decide to leave in hopes of going somewhere and playing more, don’t waste this opportunity to earn a degree from this university.”
