Texas QB Commit KJ Lacey Shines on Day 1 of Elite 11 Finals

Four-star Texas Longhorns QB commit KJ Lacey had a fantastic opening salvo a the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles

KJ Lacey / Photo Credit: Brooks Austin

LOS ANGELES, CA - Four-star Texas Longhorns QB commit KJ Lacey was a bit of an underdog heading into the Elite 11 Finals on Tuesday.

That said, to many he was also a dark horse to win the whole thing.

Obviously, given the nature of the competition and the talent involved with the 19 other QBs, winning the camp's MVP award would be a tall task for anyone.

That said, at the end of Day 1, Lacey found himself firmly in the conversation at the top of the list and was very pleased with the way he performed in his first outing.

"I feel like I did pretty good overall, just showing arm strength and accuracy," Lacey said in a one-on-one interview. "I feel like I did pretty solid."

'Solid' being perhaps a bit of an understatement.

Throughout the day, Lacey's talents were on full display, making impressive throw after impressive throw, at every level of the field from the outset.

Obviously, standing in the neighborhood of 5-foot-11 and weighing in at 181 pounds, Lacey doesn't carry a frame that would indicate a high-level arm.

However, if there were any questions surrounding any aspect of his arm talent, they were answered on Tuesday.

Lacey not only displayed great zip and power behind his throws, but his accuracy - outside of one or two missed throws - was as good as he could have possibly hoped for coming into the competition. Outside of that, he was also extremely light on his feet and displayed top-notch mechanics both in that footwork and in his throwing motion.

That said, Lacey knows he can still improve and get better, and he is embracing the advice of the Elite 11 coaches and counselors along the way.

"I was just learning as it went, because you have the five-step, seven-step drops, all that stuff," Lacey said. "Most of my stuff is like three steps from the gun, or three and a hitch or something like that. But I'm coming out here and learning what the coaches have to tell us and fix about our footwork, so that's what I'm doing. The main thing was my base, keeping it wider. Sometimes I tend to get a little tall at the top of my drop. Just staying low to the ground and my base right."

Now, Lacey heads into Day 2 in the thick of the conversation for the camp's MVP award, and if he can continue to improve off of an already impressive Day 1, he should be there right until the end.