The 2024 Rice Football Recruiting class is loaded with a top-flight quarterback and lots of skill talent. Here’s how this side of the ball stacks up.
With the addition of 10 players on National Signing Day, the 2024 Rice football recruiting class has grown to 23 players. Of those players, 16 are current high school seniors and 13 play on the offensive side of the ball.
This group now includes walk-on players in addition to scholarship athletes, but as head coach Mike Bloomgren was quick to point out, “All these kids are suited to come in here, play college football and compete and help the Owls.” We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of the new Owls and how they’ll help the program on the field.
* designate early enrollees
Quarterback (2) – Drew Devillier, EJ Warner*
Now signing the first members of his seventh recruiting class, Mike Bloomgren has brought a host of quarterbacks to South Main. He’s landed a few prominent transfers that did well, most notably JT Daniels this past season before injuries cut his time with Rice football short. But Bloomgren also found success with players like Mike Collins and Jake Constantine, among others.
Meanwhile, the high school products at the position are only just now beginning to get their feet wet. AJ Padgett and Chase Jenkins have each flashed in moments and represent the most talented freshman passers Rice has had under Bloomgren. But the Owls’ 2024 quarterback signee Drew Devillier holds an even more prominent distinction. He’s the highest-rated high school quarterback Bloomgren has signed at Rice.
Devillier had originally committed to TCU to play baseball. His sport-of-choice switch benefited Rice, who was ready to scoop him up as soon as he became available. Devillier picked Rice over offers from Pitt and North Texas, among others.
Bloomgren reiterated this week Devillier that “he’s a football player first,” but the staff will do everything they can to support him as he plays baseball, too. Devillier does intend to play both sports at Rice.
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As a passer, Devillier’s arm is exciting. Combining his level of arm talent with an ability to create on the move has the potential to make him a fantastic find passed over because of his earlier baseball aspirations. Signing Devillier would have made for a solid return at the position, but Rice upped the ante with another marquee transfer at the position: Temple’s EJ Warner.
The son of former NFL MVP Kurt Warner, EJ has spent the past two seasons breaking just about every passing record that exists at Temple. Playing with a shaky line and a shortage of skill talent, he almost singlehandedly kept the Owls competitive. Looking for a better opportunity, he hit the transfer portal and the Rice Owls scooped him up.
When Warner hit the portal and the coaching staff started studying his game in earnest, Bloomgren said he and offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo saw “a guy who has unbelievable anticipation and unbelievable knowledge of where the ball needs to go.”
More directly still: “We think he can step in and do some of the things we were able to with JT.”
Warner has two seasons of eligibility remaining. If he finds his footing quickly and establishes himself as the starter, Rice could have found a multi-year solution at the position, something they’ve been seeking for quite some time. Regardless, the athleticism and arm talent Warner possesses are irrefutable. This is exactly the type of player you look to add to your program. The NFL bloodlines are just the cherry on top.
Wide Receiver (3#) – Owen Carter, Jackson Ranucci, # Graham Walker #
Carter was a human highlight reel throughout high school. Paired with quarterback Trey Owens, a Texas commit, he lit up scoreboards across the state, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards during his senior season and hauling in a team-leading 15 touchdowns. One of the highest-rated wide receiver commitments in the Bloomgren era, Carter should pair nicely with the quarterbacks signed in this class.
It’s worth noting here that Carter is the only true pass catcher in the 2024 Rice football recruiting class thus far. And while it’s entirely possible the Owls add a player out of the portal in the coming weeks ahead or during the spring, signing just Carter is a testament to how much the staff believes in him and the core of receivers that are currently on campus.
Carter will be joined by Jackson Ranucci, a teammate of fellow Rice signee Cullen Witt, who earned a scholarship after a standout performance at camp this summer. Ranucci missed most of his senior season.
# Walker was not formally announced on National Signing Day as the Owls waited for the appropriate paperwork to process. Much like Matt Sykes last year and others in the past, no signing day announcement won’t keep him from following through on his commitment. Walker brings physicality and size to this room and could vie for a starting spot as soon as he arrives on campus.
Running Back (3) – Rhys Phillips, Coleman Bennett*, Taji Atkins, Trey Kibbles
Rice doubled its haul in the backfield during the early signing period, picking up a pledge from Bucknell transfer Coleman Bennett to compliment high school commit Rhys Phillips. They’re two very different players who will fill very different roles in the Rice offense.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Phillips is a versatile, hybrid back with experience operating as an h-back, tight end and everything in between. Most recruiting services still have him listed as a pure tight end and honestly, even the Rice staff hasn’t solidified his role
“We’re not sure how he’s going to fit into our offense yet,” Bloomgren admitted. “Because he does so many things so well.” At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he’ll probably do more blocking and receiving work than lining up as a pure rusher in the backfield.
On the other hand, Bennett will operate as a much more traditional runner. NextGen Prospect rated him as one of the fastest players in the Transfer Portal this cycle and that shows through on the field. Adding Bennett to a backfield that already has Dean Connors should keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
Taji Atkins is perhaps the most exciting addition to this unit, though. Originally committed to the Owls before the Early Signing Period, he decommitted before since reversing course and signing with Rice on National Signing Day. Bloomgren is ecstatic to have him back in the fold. “This dude is special,” Bloomgren explained.
Atkins is an all-purpose weapon with speed, quickness and vision. In the playoffs alone, he rushed for 1117 yards (four games) including an unbelievable 403-yard performance against Klein Cain. Atkins averaged 14.5 yards per carry this season on 178 rushes. “That’s pretty good,” Bloomgren said with a smile.
The Owls further bolstered their backfield with the addition of Trey Kibbles, who Bloomgren dubbed “a solid runner with great balance.” Kibbles ran track in high school and promises to bring some explosiveness to the backfield.
Tight End (0)
After loading up at the tight end position in the last two cycles, Rice didn’t take a pure tight end from the high school ranks this year, unless you want to count Phillips. The staff loves the room as it’s currently constructed and has high hopes for what Boden Groen, Ethan Powell and others can accomplish this coming season.
Offensive Line (3) – Luke Miller, Lane Jeffcoat, Spencer Cassell*, Jabari McAlmont
The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class included seven scholarship offensive linemen, a year removed from the Owls signing five in the previous class. With so many young, talented trench movers still on the roster, Rice was going to have a much smaller haul in the offensive trenches this haul. Just three: Luke Miller, Lane Jeffcoat and transfer Spencer Cassell.
Miller and Jeffcoat each committed during the same weekend this past summer. The staff got to work out both of them during camps and made sure to offer both, despite their knowledge this would be a tighter class and that they would go over their projected position count if they brought in more players in the portal. It didn’t matter. They had to have these guys.
More: Breaking down the Defensive signees in the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class
Bloomgren said that Miller “plays with a little bit of nastiness,” as glowing of an endorsement as any offensive lineman could dare to receiver. And as for Jeffcoat, Bloomgren was effusive in his praise. “I really think we hit a home run with this kid,” he said. “I think the future is incredibly bright because of the way he bends and the gifts he has from a size standpoint.”
The final addition, Spencer Cassell, was not a new name for this staff. The Owls actually recruited Cassell as a preferred walk on out of high school in 2019. Cassell opted to go the scholarship route and attend Harvard. He has since graduated and matured physically, becoming a talented offensive lineman.
Now Cassell is back at South Main for good this time as a scholarship player, potentially with two seasons of eligibility if a medical redshirt waiver goes through as expected. He’ll start at guard, but has experience at tackle as well.
Jabari McAlmont spent a good portion of this season banged up, which might prove to be a blessing gin disguise for the Owls, who were able to get him to campus without too much fanfare. Bloomgren called him a player with “tremendous upside.” Already blessed with a 6-foor-4, 300-pound frame, McAlmont could have great potential for this program down the line.
Cullen Witt played tackle in high school but projects as a center at the collegiate level. Bloomgren praised his intelligence and movement.
|| UPDATED 2/7/2024 ||
