In Notre Dame Transfer Jacob Lacey, Oklahoma Landed 'Great Maturity, Natural Leadership'

Lacey's playing time dwindled in four seasons at Notre Dame, but he logged more than 600 snaps and represents a real need for a Sooner d-line gutted by attrition.

NORMAN — Brent Venables received word midway through his National Signing Day press conference on Wednesday that he could officially talk about Notre Dame transfer Jacob Lacey.

And wow, did Venables talk.

“Jacob’s a guy that we had a relationship with while we were at Clemson,” Venables said of the Sooners’ new graduate defensive tackle. “Again, he's been a leader. Incredibly tough and versatile.”

Lacey entered the transfer portal on Oct. 6, leaving the Fighting Irish just four games into his senior year. That decision probably wasn’t easy, but it allowed him to take a redshirt in 2022, which gives him two years of eligibility in Norman.

“A young man that we really felt like would be able to mentor some of the younger players,” Venables said. “He's got great maturity, but natural leadership skills and would bring great value to our locker room, having played at Notre Dame and having college experience.”

His arrival for 2023 is ideal for an Oklahoma defense that loses Jalen Redmond to the NFL Draft, plus seniors Jeffery Johnson and Jordan Kelley to graduation, and senior Josh Ellison and freshmen Alton Tarber and Cedric Roberts to the transfer portal.

“That’s a bunch of guys all at once on your defensive line,” Venables said. “So, Jacob’s a guy that we really are excited about being here at mid-year.”

According to 247 Sports, Lacey was the No. 10 defensive tackle in the nation in the class of 2019, No. 157 overall. ESPN ranked him No. 114 nationally coming out of South Warren High School in Bowling Green, KY. He was the 2018 Kentucky 5A Player of the Year. He picked Notre Dame over Clemson, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee and others.

Lacey played in 12 games at Notre Dame as a true freshman (career-high 247 snaps), recording a career-best 76.2 grade against Navy, according to Pro Football Focus. He played in 11 games (164 snaps)

in 2020 and 11 games in 2021 (149 snaps), but only played the first four games of 2022 (73 snaps) before deciding to redshirt and enter the transfer portal.

Lacey’s PFF grade as a freshman was 62.8. That dipped to 61.9 his sophomore year, but soared to 70.0 as a junior.

Last year’s grade — limited action in just four games — was 68.7. His playing time dwindled from 29 snaps against Ohio State to 24 against Cal to to 11 in the loss to Marshall, to nine against North Carolina.

“Lacey was a great player,” first-year coach Marcus Freeman said in October. “Lacey did a lot of great things for us, but it’s a deep position and he made a decision that ultimately he felt was best for him and we respect that. We love Jacob and the best thing about it is he leaves here with a degree in his hand.”

Regardless of how his playing days ended in South Bend, Venables is glad to rekindle his relationship with Lacey. He comes to Oklahoma with 633 career snaps, according to PFF.

“Probably going to be just an inside guy,” Venables said. “But a guy that understands leverage and how to play the game. He's got a good foundation of fundamentals and moves well.”