Rice football will not be entering the 2021 season injury-free. Defensive lineman De’Braylon Carroll is expected to miss the season with a leg injury.
Starting defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll is expected to miss the 2021 Rice football season after suffering a lower leg injury this summer, multiple sources have confirmed to The Roost. A second-team All-Conference USA preseason selection by Athlon Sports, Carroll was projected to be one of the most impactful interior defenders in the conference this season.
Carroll burst onto the scene as a true freshman. A year removed from leading an elite Duncanville High School defense, Carroll was named to the Pro Football Focus All-Fresmany team, playing in all 12 games as a rotation player behind Myles Adams.
He elevated his play further in 2020, starting all five games for the Owls last season and tying for second on the team with three tackles for a loss. Carroll was expected to reprise that role in 2021, slotting in alongside Elijah Garcia on the Rice defensive line. Instead, he’ll be preparing for the 2022 season.
A silver lining for Rice, amidst the bad news, is the relative depth they’ve developed at the position over the past year.
Ikenna Enechukwu has had a strong camp and brings the versatility to play several positions along the line. Caleb James, who practiced with the first team at moments last fall when Carroll was sidelined, is another name to watch. And keep an eye on true freshman Blake Boenisch. The 300+ pound athlete is can throw bodies around in the trenches with the best of them.
Rice football took the field for their first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. We’ll have notes on what the line looks like during those sessions in practice reports later this week.
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