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Conference USA Football: Summer Transfer Portal Pickups

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Summer hasn’t slowed the Transfer Portal and several Conference USA Football programs have benefited from new additions over the past few weeks.

Players have come and gone this offseason with each and every Conference USA football program feeling the good and the bad enacted upon it by the Transfer Portal. Here are three new additions within the Conference over the course of the last few weeks who could play meaningful roles on the field this season.

North Texas – QB Grant Gunnell (Memphis)

The starter at Arizona in 2019, Gunnell transferred to Memphis last year but missed the 2021 season with a leg injury. Now healthy, Gunnell opted for the portal where he received a good amount of interest before landing in Denton with the Mean Green.

Gunnell threw for 1,864 yards in 12 appearances with Arizona, tossing 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions. A highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school, Gunnell will have a legitimate chance to win the starting job at North Texas this season and could be extremely productive in Seth Littrell’s system.

UTSA – RB Trelon Smith (Arkansas)

With no Sincere McCormick lining up in the backfield in San Antonio, it always seemed plausible UTSA would add another running back to the fold, but Trelon Smith isn’t just another body to pad the depth chart.

A former Cy Ridge product and Arkansas transfer Smith led the Razorbacks’ running backs in carries and yards in each of the past two seasons, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring 10 touchdowns. Smith will get plenty of work with the Roadrunners this season and could find his way into contention for a few Conference USA football offensive awards.

Rice – OL John Hughes (West Virginia)

A former starter at West Virginia, Hughes will compete for a starting job in Houston among a front five that ended spring on a high note. Rice started and finished spring with the same starting five and didn’t appear to be in the market for a proven transfer until now.

The Owls’ feelings on the matter clearly changed when someone with Hughes’ resume became available this late in the cycle. Hughes will join wide receiver Isaiah Esdale, a former WVU teammate, at Rice this coming season.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MiLB Owls early-June update

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While several Rice Baseball alums are producing at the highest level, others are working their way up the ladder. Here’s the latest on the MiLB Owls.

Triple-A

Jon Duplantier (Dodgers) has made five appearances with the Dodgers’ AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City this season, racking up 26 strikeouts in 26.1 innings with a 4.10 ERA. That’s his lowest ERA in the minors since 2018 when he spent most of the season at the AA when he was in the Diamondbacks’ organization.

Tristan Gray (Rays) had a red-hot month of May. After starting the season slowly, he slashed .269/.329/.526 last month. He closed the month with hits in 15 of 17 games. For the season, Gray is hitting .193 through 49 games.

Ford Proctor (Rays) has played alongside Gray this season and although he’s primarily served as the team’s catcher, he’s also made appearances at second base, third base and shortstop. He’s fielding at a .970 while behind the plate and hitting .214 when it’s his turn in the batter’s box.

Double-A

Matt Canterino (Twins) has been superb this season, holding opposing batters to a .142 batting average with a 1.14 WHIP in 11 appearances. His 1.83 ERA is the highest of his career, which speaks to how impressive his first three seasons in the minors has been so far.

Dane Myers (Tigers) spent the month of May shuttling back and forth between AA and AAA, ending up back at the AA level on May 31. He had five at bats while he was up, collecting one hit with two strikeouts. His movement back and forth limited him to five games at AA. He’s averaging .265 with a .778 OPS across all levels this season.

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Ricky Salinas (Reds) worked primarily as a starter in previous seasons, but he’s worked exclusively out of the bullpen this year. He owns a 4.91 ERA over 13 appearances with 31 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in an outing since May 6.

Single-A

Trei Cruz (Tigers, High-A) spent last season entirely at shortstop but has moved around the diamond this year. He’s had starts at shortstop, second base, third base and designated hitter this season. At the plate, he’s hitting .205 with a .694 OPS.

Evan Kravetz (Reds, High-A) has made 10 appearances this season where he’s been particularly effective at home. He owns a 2.37 ERA in six home games where he’s struck out 28 batters while surrendering just 11 hits. He owns a collective 4.40 ERA on the season as a whole with 42 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.

News

Addison Moss was released by the Rays on May 24. He was with their High-A affiliated at that time.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls to hire “TikTok Coach” Marco Regalado

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There’s a new director of Rice Football Recruiting in town. The Owls are expected to hire “TikTok Coach” Marco Regalado for the position soon.

First reported by Chris Vannini of The Athletic, Rice football recruiting has a new front man. The Owls are set to hire Marco Regalado, known for his viral videos as the “TikTok Coach”, as their Director of Player Personnel & Recruiting Innovation.

Two years ago, Regalado was an assistant high school football coach in Alamo, Texas when he downloaded TikTok and made his first video and started drawing views.

From there he had a stint with V.R. Eaton High School in Haslet, Texas before being hired as a recruiting assistant by now-former Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich and ascending to Director of Recruiting under new head coach Jake Dickert. Now he’s headed to South Main.

For those not on TikTok or otherwise less linked to social media, Regalado’s climb has gone far beyond the bounds of social media. He was featured on The Athletic last spring in a piece that includes several of his earlier videos. He’s also active on Twitter, posting this hint shortly after the news went public of his imminent hiring:

Regalado will round out a revamped recruiting staff which includes Lee Menefee, Director of Recruiting Ops/High School Relations, and Jessica Morrey, Director of On-Campus Recruiting. When he arrives, Regalado will take over a current class that has eight commitments, the most recent of which came this week from MacArthur corner AJ Stephens.

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Rice Football Recruiting: CB AJ Stephens commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class picked up a difference-maker on the outside. Corner back AJ Stephens has committed to the Owls.

For the second time in the past month, the 2023 Rice football recruiting class has added a playmaker in the secondary. MacArthur cornerback AJ Stephens has committed to the Owls. Stephens joins fellow Texas High School product Jamarion Clark (South Oak Cliff), who committed to Rice in mid-May as a tandem of cover men for the future.

Stephens, a versatile athlete, was also a star on his basketball team where he excelled on the defensive end of the court along with his shooting prowess. That athleticism and ability to lock down his man translates to the gridiron as well where Stephens says he prides himself on “being able to come down and make tackles and cover the best receiver on the other team.”

Rice was the first program to offer Stephens back in May. Since then, he also picked up an offer from Prairie View A&M before opting to make his pledge to the Owls. Stephens cited the facilities and the staff as driving reasons for his decision. In his eyes, “to also have coaches with NFL experience is amazing because they know how to get me to the next level.”

Stephens elevates the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class up to eight commitments. He and the aforementioned Clark are the only two defensive pledges so far, with the remainder being a quintet of offensive lineman and quarterback Chase Jenkins.

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Rice seeks after players with size and physicality for its defensive scheme. They also need corners who are comfortable on an island. Stephens’ film showcases those characteristics extremely well. He’s excellent in coverage and can lean forward and deliver a blow when he picks up a full head of steam. He’ll fit in well at South Main.

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – June 8

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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.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon has been out since May 28 when he was placed on the Injured List. Per a report, he took ground balls at third base this week but has not yet progressed to throwing.

Through June 1 Rendon is hitting .242 with 14 extra-base hits, 21 walks and 31 strikeouts. His OPS is .738 and he’s collected 23 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois remains on the 60-day Injured List and won’t be available for the Rays until mid-July at the earliest. He’s made one appearance with the team so far this season.

Through June 1, Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Even though it started with his seventh hold of the season, this week wasn’t kind to Duffey. After working a scoreless inning against the Blue Jays on Friday, he gave up three runs to the Jays in two thirds of an inning on Sunday. He then was roughed up for three more runs in one inning against the Yankees on Tuesdays. The six earned runs surrendered this week are as many runs as he gave up in the entire month of May combined.

Through June 1, Duffey has a 6.55 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge earned his second win of the season this week, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings on Tuesday against the Twins. He faced six batters and allowed just one hit, utilizing an efficient 18 pitches.

Through June 1, Luetge has a 5.14 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto found the win column for the third consecutive game, earning his fourth victory of the season behind a five-inning, two-run, two-hit performance against the Mariners. He’s dropped his ERA more than two full points since May 14.

Through June 1, Otto has a 4.24 ERA with a 1.364 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

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