Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma put Texas fans in an uncomfortable spot, even if only for a moment: if Arch Manning has a rough stretch, who’s actually next up?
Right now, the answer is redshirt freshman Karle “KJ” Lacey Jr., the Longhorns’ backup quarterback in his second year with the program. Lacey hardly has a long college resume to lean on.
He attempted just one pass as a true freshman last season, and it went for a seven-yard completion. This year, he has gone 7 of 8 for 63 yards and added three rushing yards.
Texas beat out a couple of notable names for that No. 2 job in the spring. Lacey won the competition over MJ Morris and Dia Bell, taking over the backup role Matthew Caldwell held a year ago before graduating.
The résumé that got Lacey to Texas is the kind that still carries weight. The Saraland, Alabama, product was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, ranked No. 156 nationally, No. 14 among quarterbacks and No. 11 in Alabama by 247Sports.
He was a varsity contributor early at Saraland, starting six games in 2021, then helping the school to a state championship as a sophomore in 2022. That year, he threw for 3,177 yards and 40 touchdowns with five interceptions.
As a junior in 2023, he led Alabama to the 6A title while going 14-1 and finishing with 219 completions on 315 attempts for 3,448 yards, 42 touchdowns and eight picks. In 2024, he was named Alabama’s Mr.
Football Award winner.
Bell brings a different kind of appeal. He was a five-star recruit, the No. 2 quarterback in the nation in the 2026 class, and the MVP of the 2025 Elite 11 Finals. Even so, he has not yet attempted a pass in a college game.
Morris is the only option with real college game experience, but the production hasn’t exactly sold anyone on a full-time rescue mission. Across four seasons at NC State, Maryland and Coastal Carolina, he appeared in 20 games, started 10, and went 6-4 as a starter. He completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,021 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while also running for 146 yards and two scores.
That’s the rub for Texas. The backups each come with a different kind of risk, and none of them offers much reason to think the Longhorns are built to move on from Manning quickly.
As the source material puts it, Steve Sarkisian would probably laugh at the idea of replacing Manning with a backup after one bad quarter in an otherwise rock-solid season. For now, Texas looks stuck with Manning unless Sarkisian truly has no other option.
In Other News...
Texas Just Lost A Recruiting Battle Fans Thought Was Won
Texas got a jolt in the 2027 cycle when five-star wide receiver Easton Royal changed course and moved his commitment from Austin to Florida. Royal is the nations top-ranked receiver prospect, so any shift involving him carries real weight, and this one immediately altered the conversation around both programs. For Texas, it is the latest reminder that even when a recruiting win seems secure, nothing is final until the paperwork is signed.
Royal confirmed his decision publicly as he joined Jon Sumralls class, giving Florida a major boost in the process. He is expected to end his recruitment and cancel visits to other schools after the switch, which makes the move even more significant for the Gators and more frustrating for Texas, which had been counting on holding onto one of the cycles premier talents. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Faces A Bigger Test Than Florida After Red River Heartbreak
Texas is trying to put the Red River heartbreak behind it after a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma, a game that came with multiple chances to swing the outcome and slipped away anyway. Now the Longhorns return home to face Florida, with a chance to answer the disappointment quickly and keep their season from being defined by one missed opportunity.
Florida arrives with mixed results under new coach Jon Sumrall, and recent losses have put a spotlight on a running game that has struggled to find traction. That creates an intriguing contrast for Texas, which has been strong against the run this season, but the bigger question may be how well the Longhorns can steady themselves emotionally before another high-profile SEC test. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon's AP Slide Suddenly Feels Bigger Than One Bad Loss
The AP Top 25 is headed for a shakeup after both Texas and Oregon took recent losses, but the ripple effect around the Ducks looks bigger than just a dip in the poll. Texas is expected to slide from the top spot, Georgia appears set to move up, and a handful of teams behind them are waiting to climb, but Oregons case has become more complicated because the loss comes with a broader sense that the program is trying to steady itself while the rankings shift around it.
For Texas, the immediate concern is how the reshuffled order looks at the top, especially with Georgia positioned to take over and contenders like UCLA and Kentucky in line to benefit. For Oregon, the real issue is less about one bad Saturday than the uncertainty hanging over the programs direction, with the Ducks place in the next poll likely to tell only part of the story and the bigger questions still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]