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Rice Baseball hires former Tennessee Tech head coach Matt Bragga

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Rice baseball has ended their first coaching search of the 21st century, hiring former Tennessee Tech head coach Matt Bragga to take over for legendary coach Wayne Graham.

The handoff is complete. Much like when the head coach takes his leisurely stroll out of the dugout to take the ball from his pitcher, a new man has been called in to take charge of Rice baseball. Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard has Wayne Graham’s successor: former Tennessee Tech head coach Matt Bragga.

Replacing a legend is an arduous task. Former Rice baseball coach Wayne Graham turned the program into a perennial Omaha contender. Taking over the program in 1992, Graham took the Owls to the College World Series seven times, winning the title in 2003. That’s a high bar, but Rice has found the man they deem worthy enough to uphold that standard.

The upside

Matt Bragga thrust himself into the national spotlight this season when he took Tennessee Tech to their first Super Regional in program history. The Golden Eagles took Game 1 of the three-game series against the Texas Longhorns, moving within one game of a CWS berth before the Longhorns were able to close out the series.

On his quest for Omaha he rallied through the losers bracket in the Oxford Regional, taking down national seed Ole Miss twice to reach the Super Regionals. The SEC is the best conference in college baseball and Tennessee Tech stood toe-to-toe with the Rebels and punched them in the mouth.

Tennessee Tech outscored Ole Miss 26-16 in three games, including a 15-5 drubbing to force a winner-take-all championship game. If Bragga can take over a team with no postseason experience and take them to the brink, what could he do with an established contender?

In 15 seasons at Tenn. Tech Bragga went 445-383-2 (.538). The winning percentage isn’t stunning, but it doesn’t tell the Bragga’s full story. Tenn. Tech had three 30+ win seasons prior to his arrival in 2004. After a slow start, Bragga’s club eclipsed the 30-win mark in eight of his final 11 seasons. They won 40 or more games four times.

The downside

Bragga’s hiring comes on the heels of an extensive interview process. Potential candidates included TCU pitching coach Kirk Saarloos and former Owl and MLB standout Lance Berkman. TCU has become a staple at the College World Series over the last decade much like Rice had been in the early 2000’s. Sarloos was assumed to be the best candidate for the job, but when he turned down the Owls they were forced to look elsewhere.

Then there’s the Berkman situation. A fan favorite, Berkman is beloved by Houstonians and Owls everywhere. The slugger blasted 67 home runs over three seasons with the Owls but was passed over for the head coaching job. Rice had every opportunity to hire Berkman, but opted to lean towards the coaching experience rather than the sticking with the brand name.

Berkman would have been the safe hire. He would have drawn crowds and provided an instant jolt of excitement for a program coming off a disappointing season. If Bragga doesn’t work out fans will juxtapose his quiet beginnings against “what could have been”. Credit the administration with this: they took a risk and if it pays off, they could be rewarded handsomely.

Small school, big impact

Rice baseball finds itself in an interesting position in the collegiate baseball landscape. Conference USA isn’t overflowing with the same big-name programs that share its geographic footprint. However, Rice has already proven that a so-called “small school” can hang tight with the some of the most iconic brands in college baseball. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, the 2016 CWS Champions, came out of the Big South.

Some will be tempted to write off Rice, but fans should be hopeful for what the Bragga era will bring. Success in college athletics flows from commitment and opportunity. Rice has reinforced their commitment to this program by willing to make the tough decision and look to the future. Bragga has already proven he can build an under-the-radar Omaha contender and will be expected to do the same at his new home in Houston.

Like Graham, Bragga built a program from the ground up. Now he leaves it one game from a trip to the College World Series. The Owls hope that Bragga will continue his upward trajectory in Houston. He’ll be tasked with building on a tradition of excellence which has been a part of the Rice culture for decades under Graham. Bragga will reportedly receiver a 5-year contract. Rice hopes he’ll be around for many years to come.

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How new NCAA transfer rule impacts the Owls

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The NCAA passed out new rules and regulations regarding transfers and redshirts on Wednesday. How will these new guidelines impact Rice Football?

The NCAA might have just done something right. The Division I Council approved significant measures this week that will impact college football immediately, and Rice could be one of the beneficiaries. In short, the changes are two-fold.

First, there will no longer be any restrictions on athletes that wish to transfer. Rather than seeking approval from their current administration to contact another school, all players will now be free to notify their respective schools of their intent to transfer. Once that happens the school will enter his or hew name into a national database, officially giving other schools permission to reach out and discuss transfer options.

Second, the redshirt rule has been modified. Any student athlete that participates in any game will no longer have their redshirt immediately “burned”. Instead, a four-game grace period will be instituted. The same restrictions or five years to play four seasons will be in place, but playing a few games for experience or prior to an injury will no longer cost an athlete a full year of eligibility.

Where does Rice fit?

Every year the top-flight talent tends to accumulate at the same institutions. Alabama has more blue-chip running backs on their roster than they could possibly play. The same goes for Georgia quarterbacks and Stanford tight ends. Eventually, someone is going to get tired of riding the bench and decide they’d rather be on the field. That’s where Rice fits in.

Not only will Rice be ready to swoop in and offer early playing time to some of these disgruntled players, coach Mike Bloomgren will be able to sell the beginnings of an era (hopefully) unlike any other in Rice football history. Come be on the field. Come be a part of something special. If Rice narrowly misses out on a recruit the first time rest assured they won’t lose of track of where their targets end up and who’s out there that could help this team.

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2019 Tight End Jack Bradley commits to the Owls

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2019 Bishop Lynch tight end Jack Bradley committed to Rice Football over multiple other in-state programs including Texas and Baylor.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

During his tenure with the Stanford Cardinal Mike Bloomgren helped develop an impressive line of NFL-caliber tight ends. Five Stanford tight ends were drafted while Bloomgren was on staff with Stanford, the latest being Austin Hooper (Rnd. 3, 2016) and Dalton Schultz (Rnd. 4, 2018).

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that tight end is a priority to Bloomgren in the 2019 class. After securing the commitment of defensive end Justin Moore in April, Bloomgren added his first offensive player to the fold with the commitment of Bishop Lynch (Dallas, TX) tight end Jack Bradley.

Bradley’s commitment to Rice is a big get for Coach Bloomgren. He came to Rice with several recruiting accolades which he’s already bringing to bear. Bradley had interest from Texas, Baylor and Colorado, among others.

If Rice wants to climb out of the bottom of Conference USA they need more talent. Taking players away from some of the state’s top programs is a good place to start. Beating out Tom Herman and Matt Rhule is no small task, and it could be a sign of things to come.

A 3-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Bradley has the potential to become an impactful weapon in the Rice offense. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds he’ll be the biggest and tallest tight end on the roster.

Bloomgren isn’t likely to finish up the 2019 class without adding at least one more tight end to the fold. So far he’s offered five other players at the position spanning from South Carolina to California.  For now, Bradley’s commitment is a sign of positive momentum on the recruiting front for the Owls. Expect that to continue and intensitfy as Bloomgren and his staff have more time to pour into the 2019 class this summer.

 

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Projections expect gradual improvement for Owls in 2018

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For the first time this decade, Rice football is undergoing a head coaching change. With the new regime comes uncertainty, especially from those on the outside looking in.

Rice football is in uncharted territory and the outside world doesn’t know what to do about it. The Owls haven’t hired a new head coach since they brought David Baliff on board in 2007. After a 3-9 season they road with him through the highs (10-win seasons in 2008, 2013) and the lows (below .500 seven times in 11 seasons) until opting for a change following the 2017 season. Rice nabbed Mike Bloomgren away from Stanford and he’ll be tasked with righting the ship.

The first year for most coaches involves a lot of feeling out and scheme installation. Rice won’t be expected to vie for a conference title out of the gate, but the Owls’ new head man bring with him plenty of energy and excitement. If he pushes the right buttons Rice football could surprise the “experts” in 2018.

Various media sources are putting out their projections for the upcoming season and a common theme of gradual improvement is beginning to solidify. Here’s a few notable win-loss projections for the Owls:

Rice bottomed out last season. Before finishing 1-11 in 2017 the Owls had won at least two games every year since 2005. The 11 losses marked only the third time in school history in which the Owls had suffered that many defeats. Although going 0-13 is possible on paper, the vast majority of publications believe the Owls will have enough oomph to defeat, at a minimum, UTEP and Prairie View A&M.

Bloomgren’s claim to fame is his recruiting prowess. He’s locked in one commitment so far, and will be expected to bolster his upcoming recruiting class throughout the season. If he can increase the talent profile at Rice over the next few seasons that projected win total will start to rise.

 

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Mike Bloomgren tasked with restoring Rice to relevancy

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Rice football made waves when they hired former Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren as their new head coach. Is he the difference maker the Owls have been waiting for?

Change spurs progress. That’s what Rice Owl fans have hung their collective hats on entering the 2018 season. For the first time in more than a decade the Owls have a new face at the helm of their team, Mike Bloomgren, the former offensive coordinator for the Stanford Cardinal. He’s been tasked with restoring a proud team to relevancy. The embers of hope have been jostled. Now it’s up to Bloomgren to fan them into flame.

Bloomgren brings an impressive track record to Houston. After beginning his coaching career in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Alabama, the well traveled coach has made stops at Catawba College, Delta State, the New York Jets and Stanford. In his most recent stop with the Cardinal he served as the offensive coordinator for one of the most consistent offenses in the country.

Under Bloomgren’s direction the Cardinal offense tallied a school record 2,904 rushing yards in 2013, his third year at Stanford and his first year as the offensive coordinator. He coached up Heisman contenders Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love. The Owls witnessed how lethal a Bloomgren’s offense can be first hand, watching Love rush for 180 yards on just 13 carries in their season opener in Sydney, Australia last season. The architect of an elite, dynamic rushing scheme, Bloomgren brings an abundance of potential to the Owls’ offensive attack.

Raising the talent level immediately

The success Bloomgren has found hasn’t been limited to the football field. He’s one of the best recruiters in the nation and promises to raise the talent profile at Rice. Faced with similar academic standards at Stanford, Bloomgren’s Cardinal finished outside the top 50 recruiting classes just once, frequently climbing into the top 20 classes in the nation.

His best class came in 2014. Headlined by Solomon Thomas, Christian McCaffrey and Keller Chryst, the 2014 unit was ranked No. 13 in the nation. In 2014 Rivals.com named Bloomgren a National Recruiter of the Year. He received a similar designation again in 2016, being named a top 25 recruiter by again that season. Some guys understand how the game works, and that’s a skill that will translate from the Pac-12 to Conference USA.

To put things further into perspective, the Owls haven’t finished inside the top 100 classes since 2014 and it’s not because schools outside of the Power 5 can’t recruit at a high level. At least one school from outside the Power 5 conferences has finished with a top 50 recruiting class in five of the last nine seasons with some teams climbing as high as No. 42 overall, South Florida in 2014.

All it takes to crack the top 50 are a handful of blue chip recruits (players rated 4-stars or better). Bloomgren averaged seven such players in his six years as the offensive coordinator at Stanford. He’ll already be among the best recruiters in Conference USA if he can get one or two blue chip players to campus a season. Bloomgren has proven that he can get the big names.

The future starts now

Why not Rice? There was an era of college football not too long ago where football powerhouses controlled the sport. It’s true that the heavyweights still hold sway over much of college football today, but the gap is closing quickly. UCF completed the only undefeated season in 2017, besting SEC West Champion Auburn along the way. In their first year back from the dissolution of their football program, UAB tied for second in the Conference USA West and finished with eight wins, the best mark in program history.

Sometimes all a program needs is the right man in charge. Look at what Alabama has done with Nick Saban and UCF accomplished with Scott Frost. The Tide have churned out national championships at an alarming rate while the Knights when from 0-12 to 13-0 in a two-year span. Rice isn’t relegated to being an also ran. The program has officially made their push to return to prominence. With Mike Bloomgren leading the way, that could happen sooner than anyone on the outside is expecting.

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