Get to know 2025 signee K.J. Lacey
Whether you’re a diehard recruiting fan in need of a refresher or a casual fan in need of only the particulars, this will be the series for you.
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The first national signing day for college football begins December 4 and runs through December 6. This series gives you the chance to familiarize yourself with the next class charged with keeping Texas in a position of national prominence.
To win at a consistently high level means stacking talented class after talented class. The top-five 2025 class does just that following top-six finishes in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 classes.
On the first national signing day, Inside Texas will offer profiles of each member of the 2025 signing class. Up next, K.J Lacey.
The Player: K.J. Lacey, QB, Saraland (Ala.)
The Rating: 91.16 (four-star)
The Ranking: Lacey is ranked as the No. 217 overall prospect, the No. 18 quarterback, and the No. 13 player in Alabama in the On3 Industry Ranking. On3 ranks Lacey as the No. 36 quarterback and the No. 16 player in Alabama.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Jackson Arnold
OU QB to enter transfer portal
- 2
Alabama flips LSU commit
Tide moves up the rankings
- 3New
Ben Herbstreit
POTUS sends heartfelt note
- 4
Lincoln Riley
USC coach talks job rumors
- 5Hot
Jahkeem Stewart
USC lands five-star DL
The Highlights:
The Recruitment: Almost out of the blue, Lacey committed to Texas on a visit to see a player-led practice in June of 2023. Lacey put together a strong 2023 with help from five-star wideout Ryan Williams, but then continued to play at a high level in Alabama’s top classification even without a cheat code out wide. Lacey took a trip or two to SEC rivals, but never seriously flirted with decommitting from the Longhorns even when Steve Sarkisian and company flirted with a second quarterback take in the 2025 class.
The Projection: Lacey is an absolute gunslinger who is rightly drawing a lot of comparisons to Alabama’s Heisman winning quarterback Bryce Young. His style of play is very heavy on scrambling for time and using his arm to hit throws down the field, which can become pretty overwhelming if a team can’t contain him in the pocket. Lacey excels at making very fast decisions and getting the ball out, sometimes at the cost of better footwork that would make for more consistent throws. Occasionally he manages to make incredible off-platform throws with pure arm. Sometimes he sets himself up well, at other times the ball gets away from him. As his skills develop with time, his ability to see opportunities and zip the ball out will be better supported by his footwork and he’ll become increasingly dominant. In Steve Sarkisian’s offense he’d excel hitting the deep shots down the field and would also benefit from opportunities to move around and attack with a spread field.
The Reasoning: “Just knowing that Texas is going uphill from here. Just knowing as soon as I get here, I’m going to be developed to be my best self until I get to the next level after that. I’m going to have my teammates around me, the class is going to get built up, and with the people that are going to be there before and I after I get here is going to keep it going uphill.”
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The Final Word: Lacey is likely to slide into the third-string role next season, the same on Trey Owens filled this year. A player a little bit outside of Steve Sarkisian’s typical physical specs, Lacey showcases an ability to read defenses and deliver accurate footballs that makes him a fit for the Longhorn offense in a way different than some of his big-armed cohorts.
