During an interview with The Oklahoma Breakdown podcast, Venables stated that Lacey was “probably” going to get this move.
Venables remarked, “That’s a devastating blow for us.” “Not only is he a really good player, but we were really counting on his leadership.”
Lacey missed the majority of the summer and fall practices before the season, but he still led all defensive linemen in Oklahoma in snaps played in 2023.
Oklahoma will be without its top three defensive tackles from the season’s final depth chart as a result of his departure.
Both Jordan Kelley and Jonah Laulu were “super seniors” who ran out of eligibility in the 2023 campaign.
In 2024, Davon Sears and Gracen Halton will be back for the Sooners in the middle of the defensive line. In the 2024 recruiting class, they also added David Stone, a 5-star defensive tackle.