Rice football added an important graduate transfer to their 2019 class, earning the pledge of North Carolina Central offensive lineman Nick Leverett.
More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period
Nick Leverett has committed to Rice football. A grad transfer by the way of North Carolina Central, Leverett joins the Owls with three years of starting experience on the offensive line. Leverett was named to the All-MEAC second team, as well as second-team All-FCS last season.
Leverett is as “ready-to-play” as they come, allowing just five sacks over 34 games as a collegiate starter. He projects as the starting left tackle for the Owls in 2019. Starting left tackles with D1 talent don’t grow on trees, much less do they transfer to just any school coming off a two-win season. Leverett’s commitment is a massive one for the Owls and a landmark commitment in the Mike Bloomgren era.
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Bloomgren is carefully constructing the 2019 Rice football recruiting class with the right amount of young talent combined with proven veterans who can contribute from day one. Leverett is that kind of player, as is current Rice commit wide receiver Bradley Rozner from the JUCO ranks.
This commitment is a testament to the message Bloomgren is conveying to incoming recruits of all classes and years. Playing football at Rice is different. That’s how you convince a player the caliber of Nick Leverett, who had interest from at least one high-profile SEC program, play out their final year of college eligibility at South Main.
A proven player like Leverett gives Rice much-needed depth on the offensive line and allows for continued development of players like Jake Syptak and Clay Servin. Both freshmen saw time on the field this season while keeping their redshirt status intact.
Leverett’s arrival takes the pressure to start at such a high leverage position off their shoulders. He gives them another teacher in the locker room and bolsters the depth of the offensive line tremendously. This is a big addition for the Owls.
