Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 22, 2022 11 UNDER THE DOME Defensive Tackle Jacob Lacey Leaves Program, Will Seek Transfer Just a few weeks after he was a menace in Notre Dame's 24-17 victory over California Sept. 17, senior defensive tackle Jacob Lacey is no longer part of the program. Head coach Marcus Freeman broke the news in a press conference Oct. 6. Lacey confirmed it on social media almost simultaneously. Lacey totaled 5 tackles, 2 of which were sacks, in a breakout performance against Cal Sept. 17. He had 35 total stops, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 37 games at Notre Dame. He'll look to transfer at the end of the season with two years of eligibility remaining. Leaving when he did allowed him to preserve a year of eligibility because he did not exceed the four-game redshirt minimum and had not used his redshirt season yet. The Bowling Green, Ky., native will leave Notre Dame with a degree in hand. "Lacey was a great player," Freeman said. "Lacey did a lot of great things for us. But it's a deep position. He made a decision that ultimately he felt was best for him, and we respect it. We love Jacob." Lacey thanked Freeman and "everyone at Notre Dame" in his message. "I truly believe Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the country and nothing will change my opinion on that," Lacey wrote. "The memories, the wins, the losses, the hardships, I wouldn't have wanted to do it anywhere else in the country. This place has taught me humility, discipline and that excellence is needed on and off the field at all times." Lacey said he made his decision to redshirt this season and transfer at the end of the year "with lots and lots of prayer, thought and sorrow." Lacey was a part of a deep rotation at defensive tackle that includes gradu- ate students Jayson Ademilola and Chris Smith, senior Howard Cross III and sophomore Gabriel Rubio. Ademilola and Cross sponged up most of the snaps on the interior of the defensive line the first four games, with 176 going to the former and 183 going to the latter. Lacey played 73 snaps across four games. He played a season-low 9 snaps against North Carolina in a 45-32 win Sept. 24. Freeman said Smith and Rubio will see the field more in the wake of Lacey's departure. He also said sophomore Jason Onye has been moved off the scout team and will take game reps going forward. Junior Rylie Mills has been used as a hybrid defensive tackle/defensive end, too. He swallowed up quite a few interior snaps against UNC. On cue, Smith played 28 snaps vs. BYU Oct. 8 after logging 46 total in the first four games. Rubio played a career-high 19 against the Cougars after totaling 14 to that point. Onye did not play. "It's just a position that is extremely deep," Freeman said. "The defensive tackle position right now is one of the deepest positions we have on our team." — Tyler Horka NOTRE DAME TO HOLD 'CLEATS FOR A CAUSE' CHARITY DRIVE Notre Dame football, in partnership with apparel giant Under Armour, will unveil a new philanthropic endeavor for its game against UNLV Oct. 22. The charity drive, titled "Cleats For A Cause," was created to raise aware- ness and funds for four local South Bend charities. Each of the 117 Irish players will wear one of four custom-designed hand- painted cleat styles for the UNLV game. The special-edition, one-game-only cleats will be gathered up afterward and sold in an online auction after the game, with the proceeds then split among the South Bend Center for the Homeless; the Boys & Girls Club of St. Joseph County; the YMCA of Greater Michiana; and Cultivate Food Rescue. Senior linebacker Jack Kiser, along with several other Irish upperclass- men, is the driving force behind the initiative. "This is a great idea from the upperclassmen, the captains and myself, to put this together, collaborate with the coaching staff and operations, and the school," Kiser explained. "And for Under Armour to get involved, it's a really special opportunity." Each cleat design represents one of the four charities. Players who are already involved closely with one of the four, will wear the corresponding design. For example, senior defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey holds a long interest and affinity for Cultivate Food Rescue, so that's the cleat style he'll wear. Other players without a vested interest in a specific charity will have one picked for them. Kiser explained that because he's already built relation- ships with more than one of these four charities, that he's not exactly sure what pair will land in his locker. "It's a great opportunity for us to use our platform and give back," Kiser said. "We're super excited about it." Under Armour provided two of its apparel artists — Mo Gafar (Kreative- CustomKicks) and David Zambrano (@DezCustomz) — to hand paint the cleats. "As far as I know," Kiser added, "we're the first school to ever do anything like this." All of the funds will be split equally among the four charities following the online auction that begins before the UNLV game and will run into the following week. "Our program is very excited about this initiative because we are very ac- tive at these four local charities," Kiser said. "Giving back to our community is a priority as a student-athlete at Notre Dame." For more information on "Cleats For A Cause," visit UND.com. — Todd D. Burlage Lacey compiled 35 total stops, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 37 games played for Notre Dame from 2019-22. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Each cleat design represents one of the four charities and the funds raised during an online auction will be split equally among them. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS