All Sooners

How Oklahoma Transfer Made It All The Way Back From Life-Threatening Diagnosis

Defensive tackle Jacob Lacey was treated over the summer for a blood clot that spread to his lungs

Tim Willert

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NORMAN — Jacob Lacey was one decision away from going to a graduation party or going to the hospital.

The Oklahoma defensive tackle chose the latter and it likely saved his life, he told reporters Monday after practice.

"Doc said I shouldn't be alive," he said. "He looked at me straight up and said 'I don't know how you're breathing.' He said I'd probably never play football again."

Lacey, a Notre Dame transfer who enrolled at OU in January, missed most of fall camp recovering from a blood clot that had traveled from his leg to his lungs during a flight to South Bend to see a friend graduate last spring.

What started out as a little leg pain following spring practice developed into something much worse for the 6-foot-1, 282-pound redshirt senior from Bowling Green, KY.

"On that plane ride, I started losing breath, things like that, and coughing up blood," he said. "And that's essentially when it started."

Friends dropped off Lacey at a hospital in the early morning hours. There he waited to see a doctor and pondered his future.

"I'm just sitting there by myself in that dark room just thinking 'wow, I'm coming here to see some old friends and try to do the right thing and something got taken away from me," he said Monday.

Lacey said he was diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms is his lungs.

A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in the pulmonary arteries, the blood vessels that send blood to the lungs. It usually happens when a blood clot in the deep veins in a person's leg breaks off and travels to their lungs.

"I had pulmonary embolisms, a big one in my right (lung), multiple in my left (lung) and then a clot in my leg is where it came from," he said. "It  traveled into my lungs on the plane."

"They said plane rides and blood clots in lungs is like a big no-no. And I was one decision away from either going to a graduation party or going to the hospital. And I decided to go to the hospital. Thank God I did."

Lacey received treatment in South Bend and returned to Norman where he was monitored by doctors "like crazy" and "did blood thinners for like three months. "

He worked out in an apartment gym by himself "keeping the lungs up and things like that," he said.

"Summer wise, the first month and a half, I'm just out here encouraging the guys, watching, trying to stay positive," he said.

A Notre Dame graduate who is pursuing a master of business administration at OU, Lacey planned to take part when fall camp kicked off in early August but wasn't cleared medically.

"That was hard, seeing the guys out there ballin' and I just physically couldn't do it, whether I wanted to or not, so that was rough," he said.

Lacey was cleared to play on Aug. 29, the week of the Arkansas State game to open the season.

"It worked out really well, got cleared up and by the time I was playing I was like a regular person again," he said.

Through six games, Lacey has played 148 snaps, second only to sixth-year senior Jordan Kelley's 151 snaps among defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

No. 6-ranked OU (6-0) comes off an open date this week when the Sooners host UCF (3-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday.

"Something that allowed me to be able to play so fast was staying locked in, staying engaged, taking notes, doing everything I would do like if I was practicing," he said. "And so that just allowed me to be where I'm at today."

"I'm thankful that I went through it. It allowed me to see the things that I need to work on and things that, you know, I'm grateful for. Everything works out."

Named a captain for the Texas game, Lacey played 34 snaps and made four tackles, including three solo. His fourth-quarter sack of quarterback Quinn Ewers at the OU 35-yard line disrupted the Longhorns' march toward the Sooners' goal line.

Texas settled for a field goal and took a 30-27 lead with 1:17 left on the clock. Plenty of time for Dillon Gabriel to drive Oklahoma 72 yards in five plays for the winning score.

"It meant a lot to me, especially because of the stuff I've been through recently," Lacey said of being named captain for the game. "Just battling back, it just kind of solidified the things that I've believed in, that hard work always paid off. Just seeing that and then also playing well in such a game like that was very rewarding."

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Tim Willert
TIM WILLERT

AllSooners staff writer Tim Willert has covered news and sports for 29 years as a reporter and editor for daily and online publications, including The Oklahoman and The Norman Transcript. 

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