RedBlacks sign CB Ryan Lacy

And local product Simon Le Marquand.  And eight assistant coaches, who have been added to the appropriate page on the right.  But let's look at Lacy first, since less is known about him by local football fans.

There will be several articles about Le Marquand and I'll wait until I've seen a number of them before choosing one to copy from.  Plus I want to look up some additional detail.

The Citizen did a nice job telling us about Lacy though, so I'll include that portion of their article.

Lacy, a graduate of the University of Utah, played four years with the Utah Utes before attending a rookie camp with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts as a free agent.

He saw no action on the field, though, and was subsequently released.

“I gave it my all and didn’t end up coming out on top,” Lacy said. “It’s still a dream of mine to get back to the NFL, but until then, I’m gonna keep grinding with the Redblacks.”

He also spent some time with the Tiger-Cats, getting seven tackles in his lone game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“It was a fun experience,” Lacy said. “I love being in the CFL.”

Initially a running back in high school, shoulder surgery and positional needs at Utah pushed Lacy to the defensive side of the field, where he was able to put his versatility on display.

“I learned a lot from the receivers and, going over to cornerback, it was an easier game because I kind of knew what the receivers were doing,” he said. “Just knowing the game from both sides of the ball made it pretty easy.”

The 5-9 Lacy, who said he “loves to hit,” had 22 tackles and two interceptions in 11 games during his 2012 senior year at Utah and a 2011 season that saw him rack up 51 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.

One scouting site included the following career stats (though I believe they may have copied it from his New Orleans Saints bio).

Lacy was a two-year starter for the Utes, posting career totals of 80 tackles, one sack, four stops for a loss, five interceptions, 16 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. As a senior, he posted 22 tackles, two picks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. As a junior, he earned honourable mention All-Pac 12 as he made 51 tackles, two picks and 10 passes defensed.

Lastly, the Salt Lake Tribune had a lengthy article about Lacy as his collegiate career was about to come to an end.  It can be found, at least for now, at this link, but the parts specific to his background are copied below.

...That Lacy has developed into such a defensive talent is as much of a surprise as anyone. Highly recruited out of Oakmont High School in Antelope, Calif., Lacy had designs on playing receiver.

He'd excelled on the offensive side of the ball in high school, with 1,922 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns, and finished eighth in the state of California in the 100 meters.

Lacy, who committed to the Utes as a junior, had great visions of using all that speed and experience to trip up would-be defenders. Instead, he joined a long line of players who found success with the Utes on the other side of the ball.

"They took me in and taught me to be great on defense," Lacy said. "I still have some of that receiver mentality, and I take that into games so I know what routes look like and breaks off turns and turn that into a good thing for me."

At 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, Lacy isn't an intimidating figure on the field like other celebrated Ute defenders such as Star Lotulelei. But with his speed and hard-hitting ways, Lacy is gaining a reputation for being an impact player on all levels.

Last week against Cal, he had two critical pass breakups and an interception. He spent most of the night on Allen, who finished with five catches for 61 yards, but had only two for 24 yards in the first three quarters.

One of Lacy's pass breakups would have been for a 29-yard touchdown play.

"I just got my hands in there," Lacy said. "I told myself I wasn't going to let him get one on me, and I didn't."

Lacy's play was one of the highlights in the game for Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.

"It was outstanding," Whittingham said. "Ryan is a very competitive kid, and that receiver is a first-round draft choice, certainly first day, and Ryan did an outstanding job in coverage."

Lacy's emergence is of particular importance because the secondary has had its rough moments this year as the Utes have juggled starters due to injury, inexperience or disciplinary reasons.

Through it all, Lacy has been a constant source of solid play.

"I love practicing with him because he is always competing," safety Brian Blechen said. "He is making plays and he is vocal and he's always getting on people. He is a huge leader who brings a lot of energy on and off the field."

If Lacy can't play Saturday, senior Moe Lee, who started earlier this season, will likely start in his place.

However, the Utes will be hard-pressed to keep Lacy off the field Saturday. The former receiver has a reputation he wants to defend.

"I'm excited because so many teams like to run on us," Lacy said. "We know they pass a lot, and we get to show that we can cover them and our D-line can get to the quarterback." —

Ryan Lacy file
• 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, Sr.
• Oakmont High School
• Antelope, Calif.

Season highlights • Started all eight games. ... Leads Utes in interceptions (2) and pass breakups (4). ... Returned a fumble for a touchdown against UCLA. ... Has five career interceptions.

Career highlights • Led Utah and ranked sixth in the league in pass breakups in 2011 (10). ... Had a career-high eight tackles against Montana State in 2011.