Arch Manning unfortunately suffered a concussion in week 9 against Mississippi State, but the Longhorns are incredibly confident in Matthew Caldwell to start in his absence. The 2025 transfer from Troy stepped in during overtime and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Emmett Mosley.
Aside from reiterating his confidence and excitement for Caldwell in week 10, Sarkisian also mentioned true freshman QB K.J. Lacey and how he's been performing in practice.
"Every time we've been in scrimmage settings... he really performs at a high level. He's a gamer. He's got a natural feel for passing the ball. He has a natural feel in the pocket and anticipating throws. He uses his legs really well. I feel like the more this guy grows within our system, he's going to really elevate his game and he continues to grow and that's what he's done." -- "The ball moves forward when he plays."
That's incredibly high praise for a first-year signal-caller. Not only is he an extremely efficient passer, but he's pretty athletic and can beat defenses with his legs as well. He did a great job in the spring of being able to maneuver around the pocket to escape pressure while keeping his eyes down field.
KJ LACEY ARE YOU KIDDING ME pic.twitter.com/bOWLKVhbN0
— Barstool Longhorn (@UTBarstool) December 7, 2024
247sports.com's Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins, had this to say about Lacey as a recruit in 2024:
"One of the better pure passers in the 2025 cycle. Frequently in rhythm and in sync with his wide receivers. On the smaller side, but gets the ball out fast and can change arm angles to create throwing windows. Accurate to both the first and second levels and has the power to connect on his fair share of deep shots. Has proven to be a tricky tackle for pass rushers as he dances away from pressure and buys himself time."
This perfectly describes the way Lacey looked in practice all the way through fall camp, and it's not hard to see why Steve Sarkisian and Co. were recruiting him so heavily since June of 2023.
Though Matthew Caldwell is starting on Saturday for Texas, it wouldn't be surprising if Lacey gets some playing time as well while Arch Manning is on the mend.