All Sooners

Oklahoma Lands Commitment From Former Four-Star, Notre Dame Defensive Tackle

The Sooners added major depth to a unit that has struggled at times this season.

Ross Lovelace

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On Thursday, Oklahoma picked up a commitment from former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey.

Lacey, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound defensive tackle from Bowling Green, KY, was a 4-star prospect when he graduated high school in 2019. According to 247 Sports, he was nationally ranked as the No. 15 defensive tackle in the country. He chose the Fighting Irish over Cincinnati, Clemson, and hometown favorite Kentucky.

Over the course of the last four seasons in South Bend, Lacey tallied 35 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. According to Notre Dame’s team website, he saw the field in 11 games his freshman, sophomore and junior season.

This fall, he began the season as a key part of the rotation and was crucial in Notre Dame’s win over Cal. He recorded two sacks and five tackles in just 24 snaps. Lacey’s snap count began to drop after the win over the Golden Bears, and eventually, he entered the portal and maintained his redshirt. Lacey has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

After a strong, promising freshman campaign, the defensive tackle was hampered by a shoulder injury that eventually required labrum surgery, forcing him to miss nearly all of the 2021 offseason. His flashes of promise in limited snaps this fall speak to his potential still untapped.

Lacey adds much-needed depth to Oklahoma’s defensive line in 2023. The Sooners lose Tulane transfer Jeffrey Johnson at the season's end, and consistent contributors Jordan Kelley (a fifth-year senior) and Isaiah Coe (a fourth year junior) are both veterans who can return next year but have yet to announce their plans. The same goes for senior Josh Ellison, who has an extra year in 2023 if he wants it. Also, fifth-year junior Jalen Redmond has a year of college eligibility left but hasn't made a decision yet to either return to Norman or enter the NFL Draft.

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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