With Arch Manning entrenched as the returning starter at quarterback, the backup battle between redshirt freshman KJ Lacey and Dia Bell has somewhat surprisingly faded into background noise for the Texas Longhorns almost two weeks into preseason camp.
That’s because of the combination of a year of experience and “gamer” attributes for Lacey, the 6’0, 188-pounder who has regularly drawn favorable comparisons for former Alabama star Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Expectations for Lacey aren’t nearly that high on the Forty Acres, but the belief is that he will serve as the back up in a position battle that could change shape throughout the season as Lacey jockeys with Bell for pole positioning in 2027, when Manning is expected to be playing professionally.
“I feel very good about KJ. He’s doing some really good things,” Sarkisian said.
But what Sarkisian said next suggests that Bell could be on the right trajectory to pass Lacey at some point this season or next offseason.
“I will say Dia is as far along, or maybe even further along, than anybody we’ve had in that role, and that’s a credit to him,” Sarkisian said.
The precise wording of Sarkisian’s statement includes Manning in that group — even as the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, Manning spent his first season at Texas as the third-string quarterback behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy.
And it’s not an entirely surprising statement by Sarkisian because Bell’s rankings as a consensus five-star prospect ranked as the No. 18 overall prospect and the No. 4 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, reflecting his impressive skill set and more prototypical size at 6’3, 206 pounds.
Lacey, by comparison, was ranked as the No. 156 player and the No. 14 quarterback in the 2025 class.
“This guy’s got an innate feel for the game. He is a natural passer. He’s got great leadership qualities, and he’s instinctual,” Sarkisan said of Bell.
The Texas head coach also called Bell’s efforts in Saturday’s scrimmage “really, really encouraging.”
With that way that Sarkisian is talking about Bell, it should be cause for concern for Lacey that he could fall behind the younger quarterback in the near future, especially because Lacey’s lack of height clearly impacted him in the spring-ending open practice, rendering him much less effective when he didn’t have clean passing lanes.
For now, the staff’s focus is on ensuring that the quarterbacks behind Manning are ready to come into the game and make an impact if they’re needed this fall.
“We have to find ways to keep that pressure on them because that’s the competitive spirit that they have to have, and so I think as the season goes on, keep pushing those guys to become the best that they can become, so that if, knock on wood, something were to happen, that that guy’s ready to go in those intense moments,” Sarkisian said.
“I think Matt Caldwell was a great example that last year. He got called into action in two critical moments — at Florida has a huge completion to Ryan Wingo, at Mississippi State throws a touchdown to Emmett Mosley. He was ready for the moment, and I think that’s part of that preparation that we do with those guys. So I know we always want to focus on Arch and the starter, but we don’t not coach those other guys. We coach them really hard every day, too.”