Auburn pushing 'really hard' for Texas QB commit

KJ Lacey was back on Auburn's campus over the weekend.

The Texas quarterback commit had already visited once this fall for the Georgia game, enjoying it enough to prompt a return. He made his way back to the Plains Saturday for the Ole Miss game and enjoyed his time once again.

"It was fun," Lacey said. "Obviously not the outcome that they were expecting, but it was a good time all around."

Just how hard are the Tigers going after him?

"Really hard right now," Lacey said. "We’ll see how it goes and keep on going along with it."

Lacey visited with his teammate and current Alabama wide receiver commit Ryan Williams, who's also a top target for Auburn. However, the coaching staff has made its recruiting approach to both individualistic, which Lacey appreciates.

"That’s one of the main things, just knowing that however it goes between me and Ryan, they’re taking the time to recruit both of us individually also," Lacey said.

On the field, Auburn's offense struggled in the passing game, totaling 122 yards through the air. When comparing the situations at Texas and Auburn, there's a clear distinction.

"If I end up coming here, it’d be like playing early," Lacey said. "Which out there in Texas, it would probably be more like a year of developing, learning the offense. Coming here, it’d be like just getting thrown into the fire and doing what I can."

The 6-foot-1 QB often draws comparisons to Heisman winner Bryce Young, but Auburn sees a different quarterback in Lacey — specifically one that was coached by Hugh Freeze.

"They have said a lot about Malik Willis," Lacey said. "I always get the same comparison to Bryce Young, I get that from everyone. They made a big one on Malik Willis. Mostly off the field, how I act off the field. Just being a good person and obviously the arm strength, arm angles all that."

Lacey might visit Texas this weekend for the Longhorns' game against BYU, but his visit schedule is fairly flexible. He does plan on visiting Auburn at least one more time this fall, for the Iron Bowl on Nov. 25.

"I just love coming up here, chopping it up with the coaches, Coach Freeze," Lacey said. "Hopefully I get up here for a game they come out here and win. It’s just fun, honestly."

Do the Tigers have a shot with the No. 13 player in the 2025 class?

"We'll see," Lacey said.