Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY COREY BODDEN Even though he was not the first player to technically commit to Notre Dame's 2019 class, defensive tackle Jacob Lacey will be the longest-ten- ured pledge of the group by almost six months. The 6-2, 295-pounder was offered by the Irish following an impressive performance during the program's Irish Invasion in June 2016. Lacey was coming off a strong freshman campaign at Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren where he was part of a Class 4A state championship program. Notre Dame was viewed to be the favorite from essentially the moment Lacey earned an offer. That remained the case while the coveted interior defensive lineman made trips to nu- merous programs across the country. Even the 4-8 season the Irish en- dured in 2016 did not deter Lacey in the slightest. Just a few days after narrowing his recruitment to Clem- son, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Tennessee, he pulled the trigger and committed to the Irish on July 29, 2017. "Schools talk about their records and how they did the past seasons," Lacey recalled of his decision. "That didn't really factor to what I was looking for. I just wanted to play where fit best for me. Notre Dame definitely did that. "I didn't really care about the 4-8 season. They found something the next year and then obviously this year. Everything is starting to pick up and I can see the program is heading the right direction to playing domi- nant football." Once part of the class, Lacey put on his recruiting hat and went after Notre Dame's top targets, especially along the defensive line, to help lure them to South Bend. "Guys would come up to me and ask why I committed so early and what made me pick Notre Dame," he said. "I would just tell them that football is only four years and maybe longer if you're blessed to play in the NFL. "But with that Notre Dame degree, you're set. You can see it with Notre Dame grads. They're very respected, so I really tried to sell that. Also, just getting to know guys personally and getting them out of the recruiting phase and talking to them about their lives." During Notre Dame's first Junior Day for the 2019 recruiting class the weekend of Jan. 27, 2018, Lacey was in town with multiple top Irish targets, including defensive tackle Hunter Spears and defensive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah. Both were uncommitted at the time, but Spears (February) and Osafo-Mensah (May) would enter the fold in the coming months with a small part due to the early bond they built with Lacey during that trip and thereafter. "The group as a whole has a great bond," Lacey said of the Irish 2019 class. "They're all great guys and pretty funny. I love talking to them and being around them during vis- its. I'm really close with Hunter and NaNa. NaNa will be my roommate. Jacob Lacey Stayed True To The Irish After Early Pledge During his senior campaign, Lacey compiled 80 tackles, 34 stops for loss, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM