Lacey, who has made the backup role behind Arch Manning his own, has seen himself compared to a Heisman Trophy winner by his coach.
When most think of the Texas Longhorns' quarterback room, most naturally gravitate toward Arch Manning, and that makes sense.
He's the starter and is expected to be one of the top draft picks in a year's time, but, as we know, the backup quarterback position is seen by some as one of the most important in football.
And for the Longhorns, this summer has seen KJ Lacey step up into that role and look good doing it, with some good days on the grass and some teaching moments as well.
Now, Texas fans will hope that Lacey doesn't see the field much, if at all, in 2026, because that will mean Arch is injured.
But if he were to step into the starting role, well, coach Steve Sarkisian might be just fine with that.
Why? Because he's liked what he's seen from Lacey this summer and has a rather eyebrow-raising comparison for him.
"KJ is a guy that as we have gone through this with him and I felt this way in high school and as we've grown, I hate comparing guys because it's never fair, but he's got a lot of qualities that remind me of Bryce Young," Sarkisian said.
"Obviously a bit similar in stature, both natural passers, both very instinctual, both are sneaky with their legs and can hurt you with their legs. Now it's the maturation process of understanding schematically and where do I play when I play so well off-schedule but yet play on-schedule so that I can play off-schedule, if that makes sense."
We know how deadly Young was with Alabama, throwing for 80 TDs and just 12 interceptions in his three seasons, and for Sarkisian to see some similarities in Lacey's game, that bodes well for the quarterback going forward.
After all, when Arch gets drafted, someone is going to have to step into the starting role, and who knows, maybe that is Lacey?
With Sarkisian's comments, we get the sense that he would be fine with Lacey as the starter, but of course, he would have to continue his progression that has happened this summer, because being a backup is one thing, being the starter is another thing entirely.
Still, it feels like the Longhorns are in good shape at quarterback, and if the worst happens with Arch, maybe Texas is still in a good spot with Lacey as well.
