Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2019 57 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE They all love to work, so I like that a lot. "All of us can bring in depth and add a strong work ethic. Just coming in and supporting the guys the best we can and trying to earn a spot." Lacey arrived at Notre Dame of- ficially this January with nine other members of his class. The Rivals four-star prospect entered the Irish program after leading South Warren to a Class 5A state title in the school's second year in the classification. "It was the way I wanted it to end being a senior," Lacey explained. "It all went by so fast. I appreci- ated every game no mat- ter who we were playing or where. I prepared hard, working and playing with guys I grew up with. "It was fun. It will be a different feeling in college, but it will be fun." Even while facing consis- tent double and even triple teams, Lacey recorded 34 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in the middle of a South Warren defense that al- lowed 9.6 points and 40.0 rushing yards per game. However, Lacey was never satisfied no mat- ter what the stat sheet or scoreboard said. "If I played great, I still don't feel I played good enough," he noted. "It's just one of those things where I still feel there are things I could do better. When we did workouts during the summer, I would do more through- out the day. I wanted to do the best I could for my school and friends. "We were all talking about win- ning a state title, but we knew it would have to take some extra work for that to happen." With the losses of Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner in the middle of the Notre Dame defense and some injuries, Lacey could provide depth in the inte- rior from the get-go, which has been mentioned to him by the Irish staff. "They've brought it up," Lacey said. "[Fellow 2019 signee] Hunter [Spears] has the injury right now, so he's going through that. [Soph- omore] Ja'Mion [Franklin] has the quad injury as well. I'm definitely expected to work, which is what I love to do. "I'll go in and work as hard as I can to exceed those expectations." The extra six months of college workouts and spring practice could very well put Lacey in a position to do that with his drive and intensity up front. ✦ JACOB LACEY DEFENSIVE TACKLE 6-2 · 295 SOUTH WARREN H.S. BOWLING GREEN, KY. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 23 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 115 13 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 177 15 5 STATISTICS • Finished his senior year with 80 tackles, 34 stops behind the line, 14 sacks, four forced fum- bles and one fumble recovery. • Recorded 51 tackles and 23 tackles for loss as a junior. • Registered 78 stops, 34 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his sophomore season. HONORS • 2018 USA Today Kentucky Defensive Player of the Year • 2017 and 2018 Associated Press All-State first team • 2017 and 2018 Louisville Courier-Journal All- State first team, 2016 second-team honoree • 2017 and 2018 USA Today All-State first team, and 2016 second-team honoree • 2018 District Player of the Year and All-District (Class 5A 2nd District) • 2018 Sporting Times (Bowling Green, Ky.) Player of the Year ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Did not participate in any national postseason all-star games RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 29, 2017, and enrolled in January 2019. • Picked Notre Dame over Clemson, Michigan, Tennessee, Louisville and Michigan State. • Defensive line coach Mike Elston led the charge in his recruitment. • Took multiple game day visits to Notre Dame from 2016-18 and made his official April 13-15, 2018. NOTABLE • Born on June 20, 2000. • Had a .345 batting average with six home runs in baseball as a junior. Hit .400 as a sophomore. • Related to former Irish All-American and NFL player Dave Duerson, who died in 2011. • 2015-18 Academic All-State for football. 2019 PROJECTION • Notre Dame loses senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and fifth-year senior nose tackle Jonathan Bonner. Those departures, Lacey being an early en- rollee, and an injury to current freshman Ja'Mion Franklin opens up an opportunity for Lacey to earn immediate playing time. THEY SAID IT South Warren head coach Brandon Smith: "He was physically dominant in terms of his size and strength. … He's really sharp technique wise. Everyone notices the size and speed, but the way he played fundamen- tally from a technique standpoint in some of the small points made him even more dominant this year." Defensive line coach Mike Elston: "Winner comes to mind when I think of Jacob, a two-time state cham- pion. Jacob is a tough, blue-collar interior guy who will make an immediate impact for our defensive line." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Power is the first thing that stands out about Lacey's game. He has extremely strong hands and a powerful upper body, and can 'bench' blockers, which al- lows him to easily get off to the football. There are snaps when he is getting triple teamed, and is still able to get a push and collapse the pocket. "During his senior season, Lacey exploded off the ball faster than we've seen in the past, and his clos- ing speed on the ball carrier was much improved. That jump in athleticism, which came with better conditioning, is what made Lacey an even more impactful pickup for the Irish staff and gives him an excellent shot at making an immediate impact." Lacey was named the 2018 Defensive Player of the Year in Kentucky by USA Today after helping Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren to the Class 5A state title. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM