SIGNED: DT Jacob Lacey

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Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren defensive tackle Jacob Lacey has submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame.

Rivals: 4.0 stars (No. 8 recruit in Kentucky and No. 21 defensive tackle in the country)
BGI Grade: 4.0 (top-100 player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Posted a 5.38 40-yard dash, 4.57 shuttle, 36-foot power ball toss and 26.2-inch vertical at Nike Football’s The Opening Nashville Regional this spring.

SENIOR SEASON: Finished with 81 tackles, 35 stops for loss and 17 sacks.
JUNIOR SEASON: Recorded 51 tackles and 23 tackles for loss.
SOPHOMORE SEASON: Registered 78 stops, 34 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

• 2018 All-District and District Player of the Year (Class 5A 2nd District).
• Sporting Times Player of the Year.
• Academic all-state for football from 2015-18, and for baseball from 2015-17.
• 2017 first-team all-state selection by The Louisville Courier Journal.
• 2016 second-team all-state selection by The Courier Journal.

Power Five Offers: Clemson, Michigan, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Tennessee

The defensive tackle prospect was on the board for the Irish in June 2016 following an impressive performance in front of the staff at Irish Invasion. Notre Dame immediately became a top contender and the likely team to beat.

Lacey was a frequent visitor in South Bend after receiving the offer, making multiple trips for games and during the offseason. Defensive line coach Mike Elston led the recruitment from the start when he was still the program’s linebackers coach, so his move down to the defensive line only aided Lacey's thoughts on the Irish.

The four-star prospect was certainly thorough throughout the process making several trips across the country to numerous programs, including Notre Dame, which led him to narrowing his recruitment to the Irish, Clemson, Michigan, Louisville, Michigan State and Tennessee on July 24, 2017.

Less than a week later, Lacey went public with a pledge to Notre Dame. He cited at the time that academics set the Irish apart from his other choices along with his relationships with Elston, Brian Kelly and company.

Lacey was technically the second player to join the class, following quarterback Cade McNamara, but the Kentucky product is longest-tenured commit of the current Irish pledges.

• Hit .345 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.
• Longest-tenured Irish commit that will sign with Notre Dame.
• Will enroll early.
• Played some varsity as a freshman helping South Warren to a Class 4A state title before leading the charge to a Class 5A championship in 2018.

Notre Dame loses senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and fifth-year senior nose tackle Jonathan Bonner. Combine that with Lacey enrolling early and the talented freshman will have a chance to push for immediate playing time in 2019.

Watching Lacey develop over the years has been a lot of fun. I first saw him after his freshman year at Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion Camp, and he was a stood out. He became a top target for Notre Dame back then, and ultimately the Irish landed his commitment.

He was good as a junior, but he was more about potential and talent than it was having a fully developed game. During his senior season, that potential became production, and Lacey's game exploded. I thought long and hard about giving him a five-star upside grade, but I’m going to hold off for now.

Lacey plays all over the line for South Warren; he’ll line up at the nose, he’ll play the three technique and he’ll even move out over the offensive tackle. Power is the first thing that stands out about his game. He has extremely strong hands and a powerful upper body. He can “bench” blockers and lock them out, which allows him to easily get off to the football.

Lacey needs to finish better at the ball carrier, but his ability to bully opponents into the backfield is really impressive. There are clips when he is getting triple-teamed and he is still able to get a push and collapse the pocket. He will need to work on bringing his hands with him quicker off the snap and he must improve his repertoire of moves, but the tools are there for his hands to be an elite weapon down the road.

Lacey has always shown a good burst off the line, but as a senior he exploded off the ball much faster than we've seen in the past, and his closing speed on the ball carrier was much improved. He destroyed players at times this season because of his speed and power being mixed with more closing speed.

His short, stout frame was a much greater asset in 2018 because he played with better pad level. He’ll need to reshape his body a bit and improve his lateral quickness, but his tools are really good and he'll have a chance to play as a freshman.

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