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Rice Football: Offseason transfers add up favorably for Owls

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The era of the Transfer Portal is upon college athletics. So far, Rice football has gotten the better end of the player movements between schools.

It was hard to see so many former Rice players depart for new schools following the 2018 season, but the Owls didn’t sit back and sulk. The coaching staff made upgrades across the board. Rice has brought in a stellar freshman class and 10 new transfers. In some cases, the Owls have traded out starting-caliber talent for even better options. Here’s how the incoming and outgoing transfers stack up.

Quarterback: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Jackson Tyner — 132 passing yards, no touchdowns, one interception
Incoming | Tom Stewart – 1,614 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, two interceptions

Stewart got significantly more playing time in 2018 than Tyner did, but it’s not like Tyner didn’t have opportunities to earn more playing time. At the very least, Stewart represents some kind of a wildcard without lesser defined potential. Tyner has since transferred to Texas Tech.

Running back: Push

Outgoing | Emmanuel Esukpa — 122 carries, 461 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry, three touchdowns
Incoming | Charlie Booker — 41 carries, 213 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, two touchdowns

Both Esukpa and Booker are built in a similar mold. They’re bruisers who run with an attitude. Booker was slightly more productive in lesser time last year, but a healthy form of either of them would serve the Owls well in 2019.

Lineman: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Roe Wilkins — 50 tackles, 4.5 TFL, one sack, Zach Abercrumbia — 55 tackles, 4.4 TFL, no sacks
Incoming | Justin Gooseberry, Brian Chaffin, Nick Leverett

The interior of the defensive line is going to miss the presence of two proven veterans. But Rice has managed to work a three-for-two trade with big bodies in the trenches. The impacts will be spread across two different position groups, but the net is a slight positive for the Owls.

Defensive backs: Edge to the Owls

Outgoing | Justin Bickham — 30 tackles, 2.5 TFL, nine passes defended, Houston Robert — 24 tackles, 2.5 TFL, seven passes defended
Incoming | Naeem Smith — 61 tackles, six TFL, four passes defended, Miles McCord — 11 tackles, no TFL, two passes defended

Rice made upgrades in the secondary too. Both Smith and McCord have eligibility remaining beyond 2019 and their best football is ahead of them. Not only should their raw talent pay off for this program in the long term, Smith could work his way into a significant role this season.

The Rest: Edge to the Owls

Incoming |  FB Reagan Williams, WR Bradley Rozner — 44 receptions, 616 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns, P Adam Nunez — 41 punts, 19 inside the 20, 39.5 yards per punt

Williams followed Bloomgren from Stanford to South Main and knows the system better than anyone. Rozner led JUCO in receiving touchdowns. Nunez could take over for departing punter Jack Fox. Three big needs met in three big ways.

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Rice Football: 2020 ATH Cole Latos commits to Owls

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Rice football added another big talent to their 2020 recruiting class with the commitment of versatile lineman Cole Latos from Allen, Tx.

In between an offer from Illinois State and a visit to an ACC school, Latos stopped by South Main for a brief one day visit. The Rice coaching staff liked what they saw in person so much that they couldn’t let him leave without an offer. That offer pushed the Owls firmly into the lead in his recruitment. Not long after, Latos announced he’d committed to Rice.

After spending the 2018 season along the defensive line, Latos plans to flip over to the offensive side of the ball for his senior season. Right now, the Owls know he’ll play in the trenches. Exactly where he’ll line up longterm has yet to be defined, but his first crack will likely come on the offensive line.

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The athleticism Latos possesses is superb. Beyond his adeptness in the trenches, he’s a star baseball player and former teammate of current Rice target Will Harbour. Latos is officially being offered as an athlete. He’s the second commitment of the 2020 class with that designation, a noticeable adjustment to the Owls’ recruiting strategy.

Rather than limit themselves to the best players position by position, Rice has prioritized finding the best athletes and figuring out where they fit on the field later. They’re looking for the biggest, strongest and most athletic options available. That takes some calculated risks in terms of roster construction, but it allows Rice to maximize the amount of talent they have on their roster at an expedited rate.

Latos is an aggressor with excellent awareness. He’s cognizant of what’s going on around him and smart enough to position his body in the best place to make a play. Whether he lines up with the offense or the defense, he’s going to be another impact athlete up front.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Junior Day a huge success

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had another great weekend, adding two commitments while making progress with other top targets.

Roughly 30 recruits were on campus on Friday for the Owls’ final junior day of the summer. The Rice staff got the chance to work with some of the top targets on their wish list, landing two commitments and extending a few offers throughout the day.

The two new additions were, understandably, the biggest news of the weekend. Both hailed from outside the state of Texas and made their pledges to play their college ball at South Main. Linebacker Geron Hargon and corner Jordan Dunbar both committed to the Owls.

With those two additions, Rice has 12 commitments in the 2020 class. The highest rated of those, offensive lineman Brady Feeney, was able to attend in person. He, along with Hargon, make up two of the nine 3-star players currently committed to the Owls. Rice has the No. 2 class in Conference USA and the No. 62 class in the nation, still a few commitments within striking distance of a Top 50 class.

Reinforcements could be on their way. Rice has been choosy with who gets extended a formal invitation, but they saw what they liked from four players over the weekend. Corner Sean Fresch, linebacker Milton Phifer, linebacker Mathieu Massé-Pelletier and defensive end Haydon Grant each earned an offer.

The most notable uncommitted player on campus by far was linebacker Trey Phillips. The rising recruiting star picked up offers from Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Wake Forest this month. Rice offered him following the Adidas 3-Stripe camp. After all the attention he’s garnered, he remains interested in what the Owls have to offer.

Rice is going head-to-head with schools from the SEC, Big Ten and ACC for a prized recruit, and it’s not just lip service. Phillips prioritized attending Junior Day when he could have been elsewhere. He’ll be one to monitor going forward.

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Rice Football: Nine Owls take home early preseason honors

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Optimism is building for the 2019 Rice football team as several of the Owls’ own are beginning to be recognized for preseason awards.

The lull of early summer momentarily fades away the moment the first college football magazines hit the newsstands. Athlon Sports and Phil Steele produce two of the most widely regarded issues, both of which have been released. In addition to their storylines and team breakouts, they both list preseason superlatives for Conference USA.

Nine different Rice football players were honored, some more than once. Here’s the complete list for both magazines:

Phil Steele

  • Second Team – OL Clay Servin
  • Second Team – P Adam Nunez
  • Third Team – KR Austin Trammell
  • Fourth Team – WR Aaron Cephus
  • Fourth Team – DL Anthony Ekpe
  • Fourth Team – LB Blaze Alldredge
  • Fourth Team – DB George Nyakwol
  • Fourth Team – LS Cam Riddle

Athlon Sports

  • Second Team – KR Austin Trammell
  • Fourth Team – AP Aaron Cephus
  • Fourth Team – OL Shea Baker
  • Fourth Team – S George Nyakwol

Two Owls made the beginning of Underdog Dynasty’s countdown of the top 50 players in Conference USA. Blaze Alldredge checked in at No. 50 and Prudy Calderon was No. 43.

Preseason recognition isn’t indicative of future success, but it’s nice to see some of the Owls more established players getting talked about in the same discussion as the conference’s best players. That doesn’t include the relatively unknown grad transfers, each of whom project to be meaningful contributors for Rice in 2019.

Conference USA will put out their preseason lists in the next month or so and The Roost will have some insight in the most notable Owls, too. All these things point toward the return of Rice football and the end of the long offseason.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Linebacker Geron Hargon commits to Owls

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Geron Hargon is going to be a Rice Owl. The first linebacker of the 2020 Rice football recruiting class has made his pledge to ball out at South Main.

Rice has picked up important commitments at several key positions in the 2020 class. They had several big bodies in the trenches and some elite skill position players, but no linebackers secured entering the heat of the summer months. That changed Friday when the Owls picked up a crucial out of state target, Geron Hargon from Shreveport, Louisiana.

Hargon had 17 offers. The original plan was to wait until his birthday, August 31, to make a public announcement of where he’d play his college football. As the recruiting process progressed it became clear to him he didn’t need the added time. By the time he arrived at Rice this weekend he’d narrowed the list down to two: Rice and UAB.

He’d been impressed by what Bill Clark is doing with the Blazers, but the culture and fit he’d found with Rice proved to be the deciding factor. The power of what the Owls could offer for life after football weighed heavily in his final decision, too.

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With Hargon in the fold, the Rice defensive class is starting to shape up. Cornerbacks Devin Gunter and Jordan Dunbar along with Safety Plae Wyatt represent a tremendous start, which should continue to get better.

When it comes to the embodying Intellectual Brutality, Hargon fits the bill. He’s an intelligent, rangy linebacker with the lateral agility and quickness to make plays all over the field. He’s a missile at the point of attack, but he does his work with poise and diligence. Hargon is a sure tackler and a reliable piece which the Owls hope to build their defense around from years to come.

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