Six months separate Oklahoma football from it's 2024 season opener but the Sooners have already been dealt some brutal news regarding one of their defensive leaders. Sixth year defensive tackle Jacob Lacey is likley to medically retire due to blood clots, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said Wednesday on the Oklahoma Breakdown podcast.

“He’s one of our best leaders we’ve got,” Venables said. “He unfortunately, he’s probably going to have to retire from football with blood clots. That’s a devastating blow for us.”

Lacey followed up with a post on X/Twitter Thursday morning, all but announcing his retirement from football.

Lacey joined the Sooners in 2023 after four years at Notre Dame. He started 11 of Oklahoma's 12 games last season, recording 17 total tackles, one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. His lone sack came against Texas, where he also posted a season-high four tackles.

With Notre Dame, Lacey appeared in 37 games across four seasons. His stats include 35 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Venables said the loss of Lacey will be felt both on and off the field.

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“Really counting on not only his leadership but man, he’s a really good player,” Venables said. “He does all the little things right… He could do all those little things fundamentally and consistently that you’ve got to do to win up front. And so that was a blow.”

Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season in year two under Venables. The former Clemson defensive ccoordinator saw his team improve by four wins after a 6-7 season in 2022.

The Sooners have the eighth ranked recruiting class for 2024 according to 247 Sports. Brent Venables and crew are likely hoping they can find some leaders from this incoming class to replace Jacob Lacey.