Longhorns Country

Could QB Commit K.J. Lacey Help Texas Longhorns Land Top 2026 Signal-Caller?

The Texas Longhorns might have an in with one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 class.

Matt Galatzan

Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023
Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA
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The Texas Longhorns are becoming a premier destination for the top quarterback talent in the country.

That trend started with the transfer of Quinn Ewers transfer to the 40 Acres from Ohio State and continued with the signing of Arch Manning in 2023, and then Trey Owens in 2024.

In the 2025 cycle, the Horns have continued that trend, holding a commitment from Saraland (AL) QB K.J. Lacey, who is currently the centerpiece of a class that is trending to be one of the best in the nation.

And as it turns out, that commitment of Lacey might give the Longhorns a chance to continue their QB trend in the 2026 class with American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL) five-star Dia Bell, who spoke extremely highly of the Horns and his relationship with the Texas commit in a recent interview with On3.

Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023
Recruits Dia Bell and Byron Louis watch Ohio State warm up before playing Penn State Oct. 21, 2023 / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA

"Austin is a cool town and its a great University. The football program is one of the best in the country," Bell told On3. "Coach (Steve Sarkisian) and Coach (AJ) Milwee have had a lot of success offensively and especially with the development of their quarterbacks. I am good friends with their 2025 commit KJ Lacey.”

As it stands, Bell ranks as a five-star recruit, the No. 9 overall player and the No. 2 QB in the nation per ESPN. Meanwhile, On3, Rivals.com and 247Sports have Bell as a four-star recruit. On3 is the highest of that bunch on Bell, ranking him as the No. 14 player in the country, No. 2 QB, and No. 1 player in Florida.

As such, Bell is obviously one of the most pursued players in the nation, regardless of position, and has heard from a litany of programs including Penn State, LSU, Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, among others.

But before he makes his final decision - which could happen before the start of the coming season - Bell will be lining up some visits.

“I will definitely be trying to get out to see more schools,” Bell said. “I will make a decision on exactly what schools closer to the end of spring ball.”

And based on how his comments about Sarkisian and Milwee, as well as his friendship with Lacey, Texas will presumably be on that list.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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