KJ Lacey kept the Mr. Football Award in the Saraland family.

The senior quarterback and Texas signee was named the state’s top high school football player for 2024 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association at the annual Player of the Year Banquet in Montgomery on Tuesday afternoon.

It’s the third straight Mr. Football Award for Saraland after Ryan Williams won in 2022 and 2023. No school had previously won two in a row in the 43-year history of the Award.

“The kid controls the whole game,” Theodore coach Steve Mask said of Lacey. “I haven’t seen anyone in a long time that completely takes it over like he can. The moment is never too big for him, and he makes play after play. I already knew he was really good, but the performance he put on in the Alabama-Mississippi (All-Star) Game was just unreal. That told me how really great he is.”

RELATED: See the complete 2024 All-State Team

RELATED: See the back and linemen of year finalists

Lacey completed 21-of-36 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns under heavy pressure in leading Alabama to a 35-29 win over Mississippi in Mobile last month. He was named the team’s offensive MVP.

“He had a great week and played extremely well on a field that was full of talented and highly rated guys,” said Saraland coach Jeff Kelly, who also served as head coach of the Alabama team. “He was by far the reason we had success. The thing that stuck out to me in that game was his ability to buy time and create when the pass rush got to him. He was able to move around and do all the things he’s always been able to do with us and create opportunities to throw the football against a bunch of talented guys.”

Lacey also was named Class 6A Back of the Year on Tuesday at the annual ASWA banquet sponsored by ALFA Insurance and the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association.

Though he missed two games due to injury, he completed 62 percent of his passes in 2024 for 3,042 yards and 40 touchdowns in leading the Spartans to a third straight Class 6A title game. He was intercepted seven times.

“He’s been an absolute joy to coach,” Kelly said. “The physical ability and the physical talent that he has is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He has the ability to make all the throws. He has the creative ability to make something out of nothing. He has the football IQ to really dissect a defense and do a great job of having a plan of how to attack and the ability to be really accurate. All that is unlike anything I’ve ever coached.”

Saraland went 41-3 in Lacey’s three years as the starting quarterback and played in three straight 6A title games, winning the championship in 2022. He finished second in career passing yards in AHSAA history behind only Piedmont’s Jack Hayes with 10,985 yards.

“His leadership, his competitiveness, his ability to make everyone around him better – I think will be what allows him to continue to do great things while playing quarterback,” Kelly said. “I’ve never seen him in a situation where he’s stressed or where the moment seemed too big. He has the ability to be his best in those pressure-packed moments and has the ability to slow down the game and make the big plays at the big time. He always seems calm, cool and collected and that rubs off on everyone around him.”

Coaches and scouts have long compared Lacey’s style to that of former Alabama QB and current Carolina Panther Bryce Young.

“KJ is super twitchy, instinctive. He’s like a point guard out there who distributes the ball so well,” said David Morris, founder of QB Country. “He’s very athletic, though he doesn’t run around a ton. At Saraland, they didn’t do a lot of QB runs, but he can do that and he may be at his most dangerous when a play breaks down a little and he has to improvise.”

Also of note Tuesday, Elba senior and Auburn signee Alvin Henderson was named Class 1A Back of the Year for the third straight season. The Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year rushed for 3,620 yards and 61 touchdowns and became the state’s all-time leading rusher with 10,894 yards.

Fellow Auburn signees Anquon Fegans (7A Back), Jared Smith (7A Lineman), Jourdin Crawford (6A Lineman) and Jakaleb Faulk (2A Lineman) also were winners.

Lacey, Henderson, Fegans and Crawford were all named to the Super All-State team, the top 12 players in the state regardless of class or position. They were joined by Jackson’s Landon Duckworth and EJ Crowell, Parker’s Na’eem Offord, Thompson’s Trent Seaborn, Cherokee County’s Tae Diamond, Russellville’s Cam Phinizee, Tuscaloosa Academy’s Preston Lancaster and St. Michael’s Gunner Rivers.

This year, 1,265 players were nominated for All-State consideration from 267 schools.

COMPLETE LIST OF TUESDAY’S WINNERS

BACKS OF THE YEAR

7A: Anquon Fegans, Thompson

6A: KJ Lacey, Saraland

5A: Cam Phinizee, Russellville

4A: Landon Duckworth, Jackson

3A: Kadyn Mitchell, Houston Academy

2A: Preston Lancaster, Tuscaloosa Academy

1A: Alvin Henderson, Elba

AISA: Luke Tarver, Chambers Academy

LINEMEN OF THE YEAR

7A: Jared Smith, Thompson

6A: Jourdin Crawford, Parker

5A: Jabarrius Garror, Vigor

4A: Tae Diamond, Cherokee County

3A: Tucker Wilks, Fyffe

2A: JJ Faulk, Highland Home

1A: Hayes Farrell, Donoho

AISA: Ashton Yelder, Lowndes Academy

MR. FOOTBALL

KJ Lacey, Saraland

COACHES OF THE YEAR

(originally named Dec. 22)

7A: Chip English, Hoover

6A: Tim Vakakes, Spain Park

5A: Kirk Johnson, Montgomery Catholic

4A: Drew Phillips, West Morgan

3A: Darrell Higgins, Mars Hill Bible

2A: Caleb Simmons, Winston County

1A: Shenan Motley, Wadley

AISA: Stacy Luker, South Choctaw Academy

ALL-TIME MR. FOOTBALL WINNERS

1982: Tommy Compton, Vigor

1983: Freddy Weygand, Emma Sansom

1984: Rod Green, Gardendale

1985: Pierre Goode, Hazlewood

1986: Larry Ware, Lee-Montgomery

1987: Robert Jones, Parker

1988: Darrell Williams, Vigor

1989: Steve Coleman, Pike County

1990: David Palmer, Jackson-Olin

1991: Robert Davis, Homewood

1992: Freddie Kitchens, Etowah

1993: Thomas Banks, West Jefferson

1994: Dawud Rasheed, Shades Valley

1995: Gorman Thornton, Jeff Davis

1996: Antoneyo Williams, Central-Tuscaloosa

1997: Mac Campbell, Alexandria

1998: DeMarco McNeil, Blount

1999: Cory Whisenant, Springville

2000: Carnell Williams, Etowah

2001: Brandon Cox, Hewitt-Trussville

2002: JaMarcus Russell, Williamson

2003: Chris Nickson, Pike County

2004: Jarod Bryant, Hoover

2005: Andre Smith, Huffman

2006: Larry Smith, Prattville

2007: Julio Jones, Foley

2008: Clint Moseley, Leroy

2009: Coty Blanchard, Cherokee County

2010: Jamal Golden, Wetumpka

2011: T.J. Yeldon, Daphne

2012: Jeremy Johnson, Carver-Montgomery

2013: Roc Thomas, Oxford

2014: Kerryon Johnson, Madison Academy

2015: Tyler Johnston, Spanish Fort

2016: La’Damian Webb, Beauregard

2017: Asa Martin, Austin

2018: Bo Nix, Pinson Valley

2019: Kristian Story, Lanett

2020: Ga’Quincy McKinstry, Pinson Valley

2021: Ryan Peppins, Thompson

2022: Ryan Williams, Saraland

2023: Ryan Williams, Saraland

2024: KJ Lacey, Saraland