Position-by-position grades for Texas's 2025 signing class
Quarterback
KJ Lacey, Saraland (AL) 4-Star
Texas signed one quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class on Early National Signing Day, Saraland (AL) four-star KJ Lacey.
Lacey was one of Texas's first commitments in the 2025 class that the coaching staff built around for this cycle when he gave his pledge to the Longhorns back in June 2023. He was the quarterback recruit that head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff wanted on the trail for the 2025 class for well over a year now.
The 6-foot and 175-pound quarterback from Alabama may not have the raw height that most NFL scouts look for, but Lacey does have a ton of arm talent and mobility. He gets the ball out on-time and accurately from the pocket, and Lacey can also make some very impressive throws on the run.
Welcome to the Forty, @kjlacey7 🤘#AllGas25 x #HookEm pic.twitter.com/LoF2h47oCF
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 4, 2024
Regarding his ability to make all the throws in Sarkisian's offense, Lacey has that ability to hit his targets on rhythm and on time to different levels of the field and from different arm angles.
Texas won't expect Lacey to be an immediate impact quarterback who competes for a starting job right away in this offense. He'll have a couple of years to develop at least, behind Arch Manning and freshman Trey Owens, in 2025.
Lacey will bring the mobile element to Sarkisian's system that will make this offense even more difficult to defend when he is the starting quarterback at Texas, likely in a few years.
The only quarterback recruit that the Longhorns took a look at and didn't wind up getting in the 2025 class is Duncanville (TX) five-star Keelon Russell, who signed with Alabama on Dec. 4. But Lacey was always going to be the primary quarterback the Longhorns wanted to sign in the 2025 class.