Texas QB KJ Lacey flashed in 2026 debut

AUSTIN, Texas — In the 19 months since Texas Longhorns quarterback KJ Lacey arrived on the Forty Acres, the 6'0, 188-pounder has generated two consistent themes — comparisons from coaches and players to former Alabama Crimson Tide star Bryce Young and the acknowledgement that he gets better as practice situations become more game-like. On Saturday, both bore out at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as Lacey received the most extensive playing time of his young career in the 59-7 blowout of Texas State, entering the game midway through the third quarter for 18 total snaps and finishing 6-of-7 passing for 55 yards and adding a six-yard run. "I just think there's a level of consistency and comfort in the system. He definitely has playmaking ability. I think we saw that today," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game. Lacey flashed that playmaking ability quickly, rolling left on his first play of the game and delivering a strike to freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop with a defender in his face. To get the ball to Bishop successfully, Lacey had to layer it over an underneath defender. "Rolling to his left, getting his hips around, and hitting Jermaine Bishop on a corner route, I mean, that's not easy. That's a tough play to make," Sarkisian said. On the next play, Lacey made the correct decision to pull the ball on a run-pass option, but the window wasn't there to make the throw, so the young quarterback made the quick decision to scramble for whatever yardage he could gain, picking up six and sliding to avoid a hit. Texas promptly finished the drive with a 21-yard touchdown run by fifth-year running back Raleek Brown. When the Longhorns got the ball back in the fourth quarter, Lacey extended the drive with an easy completion on a slant route to fifth-year wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter for nine yards on 3rd and 4. On another run-pass option, Lacey pulled the ball and connected with Berkhalter again on a fade route with a nice back-shoulder throw for 17 yards, delivering the pass with the proper timing to avoid pressure from two defenders. Clearly comfortable moving left, Lacey vacated the pocket to buy some time for sophomore tight end Emaree Winston to come open in the flat, keeping the offense on schedule with a seven-yard gain. After a seven-yard completion to Bishop on a screen pass, the Texas offense got behind the chains because of a false start penalty on senior right guard Jaydon Chatman. Two runs by senior running back Ryan Niblett gained 10 yards, but left the Longhorns short of the first down, and Texas had to settle for its only field-goal attempt of the game after Lacey's throw to sophomore wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon on a slot wheel route drifted out of bounds. Sarkisian thought Lacey had a chance to pick up the necessary five yards had he opted to run after moving out of the pocket to his left. "You could see his feet working for him. I think there was a third down in there, if he could have back, he probably would have used his legs and run, which is what he's capable of doing," Sarkisian said. Lacey's impact was ultimately limited by the game state as Texas kept to the ground on its final possession. "It was a little hard because of the score. I was trying to get him some throws and not just hand the ball off, but also be respectful of GJ [Kinne] and their team," Sarkisian said. But even though Lacey only attempted seven passes, it was invaluable experience for Arch Manning's backup, and a strong indication that the Alabama product's development is on track. "I think KJ is a really good player," Sarkisian said. "I think he knows our system, and I think we can we can tailor it to his strengths when he gets in the game. He's a good player for us."