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Rice Football Recruiting: Ratings bump boosts Owls’ 23 class

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The 2023 Rice football recruiting class is off to a strong start, checking in near the top of the latest Conference USA 247 Sports rankings.

Over the past several months, the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class has begun to pick up steam. Their first commitment, from Alief quarterback Chase Jenkins, came this March. Their most recent came from Joseph Mutombo, their highest-rated current commit, in late July. Here’s a quick rundown of what has changed in the weeks since.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2022 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today. New subscribers get our Conference USA Football Season Preview for FREE! 

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Rice Football 2022 Season Preview: Roster Grid

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Rice football has a 109-man roster entering the 2022 season. From position changes to eligibility remaining, this chart will help keep everything in order.

Keeping track of eligibility and positions can be challenging and there wasn’t one single source that had the most up-to-date information — now there is. As a complement to the roster, which has been updated to account for all the final additions and changes with the start of camp, this grid tracks every  Rice football player by position and classification. Position changes are also detailed below.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2022 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today. New subscribers get our Conference USA Football Season Preview for FREE! 

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football: Conference USA’s best kept secret?

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Rice football enters the 2022 season with a revamped roster and high expectations. Are outsiders sleeping on the Owls this year?

Saturday’s Rice football media day served as another touchpoint in the ever-quickening run up to the 2022 season. Beyond the encouraging sentiments and discussions of schemes and depth charts, the gathering served as a reintroduction to a host of Rice players that wasn’t on the field in the same capacity last season.

Last September, TJ McMahon was the scout team quarterback. Now he’s vying for the starting job. Luke McCaffrey threw passes; now he’s catching them, alongside Bradley Rozner who has missed essentially the past two seasons with injuries. Safety George Nyakwol, who hasn’t played in a conference game since 2019, was there as well.

And while these are familiar faces to Rice fans, few outside of South Main have any real level of appreciation for what they could become on the field in 2022.

Nyakwol, typically a soft-spoken leader in years past, wasn’t bashful when given the opportunity to inform the world what the Owls were truly capable of becoming this season.

More: Offense shines in Rice Football fall scrimmage

“I definitely think we’re underrated.” Nyakwol declared. “And this year, I think people will notice us. When we’re in a dogfight and we come out on top, people are going to notice because the guys we’ve had before are more experienced and older, wiser, smarter, faster and stronger”

Optimism always abounds in the preseason, but Nyakwol stressed this team isn’t relying on individuals improving their own games, although that would certainly be a component of his team’s growth. No, instead Rice was finally getting all of their weapons back on the field at the same time.

“We’re pretty much just reloading,” he surmised.

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren has taken notice of Nyakwol’s increased outspokenness. “He’s become an awesome leader. He’s been more vocal than he’s ever been,” Bloomgren said. “It’s still not in his comfort zone to be rah-rah but he is coaching and leading that group back there. And it’s been awesome for me to see.”

More: Conference USA Football Preseason Preview

Bloomgren can see the growth. Nyakwol sees how talented his peers are around him. The roster on a whole is, objectively, as talented as it’s been in Bloomgren’s tenure. Rice football hasn’t accomplished what they’ve hoped to on the field just yet, but they seem to be embracing their underdog role with vigor.

When asked about the program’s perception from outsiders, McCaffrey — now a wide receiver — just grinned. “I don’t know if [being underrated is] a bad thing. Hopefully, if it’s a well-kept secret, we can shock some people.”

Nyakwol offered a more emphatic tone. “This is the year, believe me. I can see it in the eyes of our guys. I can see through the attention to detail that we’ve had and the focus that we’ve had,” he declared. “It’s good to be back.”

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 120 – ’22 Charlotte Football Preview with Hunter Bailey

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Hunter Bailey from the Charlotte Observer joins the show this week to wrap up our conference preview series with a deep dive on Charlotte football.

The last of several Conference USA opponent previews is in the books. Hunter Bailey joins us this week to help us understand Charlotte football. The 49ers took a nosedive at the end of the 2021 season and hit the reset button on the defense. Can they turn things around? The answers to that big question and more are on the show.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 120.

Episode Notes

Announcements

Rice football fall camp has begun. Check out our season preview content for the Owls when you subscribe on Patreon and get access to camp reports and more.

The 2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview is available for purchase. Getthe inside scoop on every C-USA team. You can get more information here.

2022 Conference USA Football Season Preview

Housekeeping

  • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
  • Please support us on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes updates from spring practices and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.
    Become a Patron!

Interview — Charlotte Football with Hunter Bailey

  • What hope is there for the Charlotte defense?
  • A talented, but unproven defensive line will be asked to step up
  • The official launch of the Grant Dubose hype train
  • Can the offense compensate for the defense?
  • Where does Chris Reynolds fit among C-USA quarterbacks?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – Aug 10

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The 2022 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Tyler Duffey – Free Agent

Duffey was designated for assignment by the Twins on August 5 and official released by the club on August 8. Early reports indicate there is a strong demand for his services and he might find a new team in the near future.

Through August 10, Duffey has a 4.91 ERA with a 1.364 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge did not see action this week, last appearing on August 2 against the Mariners.

Through August 10, Luetge has a 2.82 ERA with a 1.252 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Ottow compiled a quality start against the White Sox on Friday, but didn’t get much help from his offense. He allowed two earned runs on four hits through six innings, striking out seven. The Rangers would only manage one run of their own, falling 2-1 and handing another loss to Otto despite a strong showing.

Through August 10, Otto has a 5.31 ERA with a 1.410 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois remains with the Durham Bulls on rehab assignment. Reports indicated he’d make multiple appearances with the Rays’ AAA affiliate before joining the big league club again, a transition that could be forthcoming if all goes according to plan.

Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels announced on June 17  that Rendon would undergo season-ending surgery on his right wrist. His season is done.

Rendon finished the year hitting .228 with 15 extra-base hits, 23 walks and 32 strikeouts. His OPS is .707 and he’s collected 24 RBI.

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