Skip to main content

Oklahoma Gets More Good News on Defense as Former Transfer DT Announces Return

The Sooners can celebrate the return of another 2024 transfer defensive lineman as the program transitions to the Southeastern Conference.

More good news has dropped for Oklahoma.

Jacob Lacey, a senior defensive tackle who transferred to OU last year from Notre Dame, announced on Twitter Friday that he intends to return to Norman in 2024.

Lacey, who arrived last January but was feared might have to retire due to life-threatening blood clots, got his health situation resolved by preseason and became one of the Sooners’ steadiest interior defensive linemen.

He played in 12 games, made 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, but his impact at noseguard was more profound than tackle stats.

Lacey started the Sooners’ last 11 games and finished with 363 defensive snaps, which led all OU interior defensive linemen. His overall grade from Pro Football Focus was 60.1 for the season, but he graded higher than that seven times, including a season best 82.9 against Tulsa.

Lacey was credited with three quarterback hurries as well.

The 6-foot-1, 282-pound Lacey played four seasons at Notre Dame after arriving as a coveted recruit from Warren High School in Bowling Green, KY.

OU got its first good news up front on Thursday as former Tennessee transfer Da'Jon Terry announce he would be back in 2024.