Notre Dame DL Jacob Lacey plans to transfer

Notre Dame defensive lineman Jacob Lacey plans to sit out the rest of this season and enter the transfer portal in December. Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman announced the news Thursday morning, and then Lacey tweeted his decision.

By not playing any more this season, Lacey will be able to redshirt and preserve a season of eligibility. He will have two years remaining.

Lacey, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2019, chose the Fighting Irish over the likes of Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State and Clemson. He got off to a promising start, appearing in 11 games as a true freshman and logging 14 total tackles. He also appeared in 11 games in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He had 12 tackles, including two for loss, last season.

Lacey has appeared in all four of Notre Dame's games so far this year but has played sparingly. All five of his tackles and both sacks came during the Irish's win over California in Week Three.

Lacey will have to wait until Dec. 5, when the first transfer window opens for college football, to officially enter the portal and be contacted by coaches from other schools. He should draw plenty of attention, with his home-state schools, Louisville and Kentucky, seeming like safe bets to get involved.