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Rice Football 2021 Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Myers

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Positionless, yet irreplaceable. Swiss-army man Jordan Myers was an obvious selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

The disjointed 2020 COVID-19 season was riddled with quirks and oddities of one kind and another. Among the most peculiar tidbits from the strange season was the number one. Rice football scored one rushing touchdown in their abbreviated five-game season, and it wasn’t scored by a running back. Sort of.

At that point in his career, Jordan Myers was still listed as a tight end on the official roster. Utilized as the short-yardage and goal line back and other similar situations in 2020, that designation would slowly morph. He worked almost exclusively with the running backs in the spring and was listed atop the depth chart entering the 2021 season.

When asked exactly what position he played during preseason media availability, Myers just shrugged. “Pretty much just wherever the team needs me,” he said. “As of right now, I’m kinda labeled as the utility player.”

Utility player is a destination occasionally reserved for that extra player on the bench of a traditional baseball team. He’s probably not good enough to be your everyday starter, but if you need a backup across the board, he can fill in sparingly well enough.

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Head coach Mike Bloomgren would refer to him often as the team’s “swiss army knife”  ostensibly implying a similar level of versatility. Myers never really seemed to mind what terms were being tossed around regarding his position. He just showed up.

Myers saw sparse action in the Owls’ final four games of the season as he battled injuries and Ari Broussard took over the workhorse duties in the backfield.

Even though he missed a good chunk of time, he still finished the year with more plays from scrimmage than any other skill player on the roster. He led Rice with eight rushing touchdowns and added one more through the air. He and Cedric Patterson were the only Owls to find paydirt more than three times in 12 games. That tandem accounted for 16 of the team’s 35 touchdowns, just shy of 50 percent.

Myers rocketed up those stat sheets with a career game in Week 4 against Texas Southern. Rice football was in desperate need of a boost entering the game, having scored a combined 24 points in their first three non-conference games, all losses.

Not only did Myers show up, he rushed for 160 yards and four touchdowns and caught four passes for 48 yards. The combined 208 all-purpose yards would have ranked in the top seven among all Owls’ season totals. Myers got there in four quarters.

Bloomgren was understandably beaming in the postgame sessions following that big day. “He is exactly what I want our team to be. He is the perfect college football player in so many ways,” he said, delivering the quintessential complement every ballplayer hopes his coach will someday refrain. And honestly, it’s hard to argue with Bloomgren’s pronouncement.

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“He’s probably too smart to ever get into coaching, but I’d hire him the moment he did,” Bloomgren added next. Whether he goes into coaching or finds something else to apply his abilities to after a lengthy collegiate career, Myers curious combination of excellent and versatility have seemingly shown no bounds.

But despite all of the praise and the accolades he received over the course of his six-year career, Myers remains the same calm, humble guy from Dickinson, Texas that signed with Rice football prior to the arrival of this current coaching staff. “I’m just happy I can be someone the guys can lean on,” he murmured following his spectacular game against Texas Southern.

By the time he hung up his cleats, Myers had graduated from being labeled as simply a utility player. He was someone Rice could count — and did count on — in the most crucial moments. Myers was the man handed the football on fourth and short and asked to find a yard. More often than not, he did.

No Myers, wasn’t just a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. He was a dude, and an easy selection for our 2021 Rice Football Offensive Player of the Year.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Transfer TE Gavin Reinwald commits to Owls

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Former Cal tight end Gavin Reinwald has joined the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class, providing experience and depth for the Owls at the position.

It’s going to be surreal looking at the roster next season and not seeing Jordan Myers or Jaeger Bull listed anywhere on it. That’s part of what made finding a quality tight end in the Transfer Portal became somewhat of a priority for the 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class. And that’s what eventually would open up the door for the commitment of Cal transfer Gavin Reinwald.

The Owls weren’t desperate to find just anybody to play the position. Jack Bradley has emerged as a fixture on the depth chart and getting Nate Kamper back healthy for next season will provide more options in the passing game. Adding a tight end was only going to make sense if they found one that could add value in a variety of facets. Reinwald fits that bill.

A California native, Reinwald tallied 1,873 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in high school, proof that he’s more than just someone to stick on the end of the line and block. He would go on to play in 39 games at Cal with eight starts. He tallied 31 receptions for 315 yards and four touchdowns over four years with the Golden Bears. He can line up wide and play some wide receiver if needed.

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Reinwald crossed paths with current Rice offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo before Tuiasosopo headed to Texas. In fact, Tuiasosopo was Reinwald’s position coach in 2019 and 2020, moving over from the Cal quarterback room the two seasons prior. Tuiasosopo is very familiar with what Reinwald brings to the table, and if he feels he can be an asset for the Rice offense, it’s hard to fault him.

A graduate transfer, Reinwald will have one final season of eligibility once he arrives at South Main. Already familiar with some of the scheme which Tuiasopopo brought with him from Cal, he’s a good pickup for the Owls from the portal.

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Rice Football 2021: NFL Owls Week 15 Stats Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2021 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 15.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Team NFL Owl(s) Week 15 Result Week 16
LA Chargers Christian Covington (DL) vs Kansas City (Thr) L, 34-28 (OT) at Houston
Denver Calvin Anderson (OL)
Bryce Callahan (CB)		 vs Cincinnati L, 15-10 vs Las Vegas
Pittsburgh Chris Boswell (PK) vs Tennessee W, 19-10 at Kansas City
Detroit Jack Fox (P) vs Arizona W, 30-12 at Atlanta
Tampa Bay Nick Leverett (OL) vs New Orleans (SNF) L, 9-0 at Carolina
Indianapolis Andrew Sendejo (Saf) vs New England (Sat) W, 27-17 at Arizona (SAT)

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson was placed on injured reserve following a leg injury suffered in the Broncos’ Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. He did not play in their Week 15 game against the Bengals.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett did not see action against the Bills. He has been activated each week following the Week 12 game against the Colts where he played 85 percent of the snaps.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan was activated from IR last week and saw his first game action since Week 8 against the Bengals. He was credited with two tackles.

Christian Covington – DL, Chargers

Covington saw action against the Chiefs this past weekend but did not register any tackles. That’s only the second time this season he’s played but not recorded a stat line.

Andrew Sendejo – S, Colts

Sendejo registered four tackles and a pass deflection in the Colts’ Week 15 win over the Patriots.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted three times against the Cardinals on Sunday, booting a long of 55 yards and placing one punt inside the 20-yard line.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell attempted a single-game season-high five goals against the Titans in Week 15, converting on four of them. Including one extra point, Boswell scored 12 of the team’s 19 points.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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Rice Football 2021 Rising Star of the Year: Ari Broussard

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From walk-on linebacker to bellcow back, Ari Broussard saw his opportunity and seized it, earning the 2021 Rice Football Rising Star award.

Just about every college football team across the country has walk-ons, players that don’t have an athletics scholarship but find their way onto the roster for one reason or another. In today’s recruiting landscape, some are actually recruited, identified and sought out even though they might not make the cut for the initial count of 25 scholarships that are divvied out annually.

Rice football is no different in that respect. They target non-scholarship players, too, seeking every was possible to up the level of talent on their roster.

But as is often the case with the Owls, there are some uniquenesses to how walk-on players find their way onto the roster. Most notably, they have to apply to the university and be accepted on their own merit first. Often players of interest are directed to the applications process, then upon admission, granted spots on the roster.

Ari Broussard took a slightly different route. The former high school running back was lightly recruited by other schools and applied to Rice on his own. It was after he was accepted that he reached out to the football staff to see about walking onto the roster. He was the initiator, taking the onus on himself to get to where he wanted to be.

With depth at the running back position and several scholarship players ahead of Broussard on the pecking order, he was asked to play linebacker. Broussard had played some on that side of the ball in high school, and although he preferred toting the rock to tackling, he was eager to help out wherever he could.

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In the spring of 2019, Broussard was asked to help the team out by switching back to running back, where the Owls were light in numbers. He responded with a breakthrough performance in the spring game, capped off by the news he had earned a scholarship following the game.

As fulfilling as that moment was, there would be no immediate encore. Injuries and a suddenly more crowded running back room would every Broussard back to special teams for the 2020 season. That was expected to be his primary area contribution again in 2021, but this time fate had other plans.

Rice football entered the season with plenty of uncertainty in the backfield. Jordan Myers had converted from tight end to halfback in the spring. Freshman signee Christian Francisco was injured late in camp, bumping Juma Otoviano back to scout team duties. That left Broussard, Khalan Griffin and utility man Cameron Montgomery as the top options behind Myers in the backfield.

Myers was productive, but was hurt down the stretch, forcing his role to be scaled back significantly. Griffin ran hard, but lacked explosiveness and surehandedness and consequently fell out of favor on offense. It was finally Broussard time.

Broussard carried the ball 10 times for 61 yards against UTSA. He added 16 carries for 65 yards a week later at UAB. Then he exploded for 186 yards and his first two collegiate touchdowns against Charlotte.

“I told the guys at halftime he was running like a man possessed, ” head coach Mike Bloomgren said of Broussard’s breakthrough game. “Really proud of him. He ended the game averaging 9.3 (yards per carry) and had some big-time runs for us in there.”

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This time he didn’t return to the shadows. Even though he was banged up near the end of that game, he returned the next week to carry the ball 15 times against Western Kentucky, leading the Rice backfield in carries. He’d do the same two weeks later against Louisiana Tech. Whether he was feeling 100 percent or hobbled, Broussard proved to be a true bellcow running back that Rice football could rely on.

From walk-on, to ‘ol reliable, Ari Broussard exemplified a feelgood story, but made sure the heartwarming moments were filled with plenty of productivity. He earned his spot on offense and made the most of it.

Rice football will restock the running back room this offseason. They’ve already received a pledge from a junior college back and could be on the lookout for others, if the right fit materializes. Broussard is no strange to being counted out. He’s been at the bottom of the depth chart before, but now he’s proven he belongs on the field.

Broussard will be ready to go this spring, touting the rock like he always has. But his outlook for the fall will be different. Regardless of what happens next, it feels like Broussard has carved out a role for himself going forward. Our 2021 Rice Football Rising Star isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 DL DeMone Green commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class added one more on the seond day of the Early Signing Period, landing a commitment from defensive lineman DeMone Green.

All though most of the branding tends to label the third Wednesday in the month of Decemeber “Signing Day”, it’s truly the first of a three-day window officially refered to as the Early Signing Period. While it’s true that most of the action happened in the morning hours as soon as pen was allowed to hit paper, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class was just getting started.

The Owls added one more new face to their 2022 haul on Thursday, landing a commiment from Heights High School defense lineman DeMone Green. The star-commit gives Rice 12 additions in the Early Signing Period to date. Green had previously announced offers from Arkansas, Tennessee and Houston.

Green gives the Owls’ a nasty trio of defensive lineman from the high school ranks. Interior man Davion Carter and end Chibby Nwajuaku both signed with Rice on Wednesday. Depth at that position was imperative and Rice has now sufficiently checked those boxes.

The 2022 class was going to be small, making every spot all that more important. Green absolutely earned his ticket and should be a contributer down the line soon enough.

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Green has strength and quickness off the edge, and that’s something that’s only going to grow as he works with strength coach Hans Straub. He spends more time in the backfield on his highlights than he does with his hand in the dirt, something Rice fans will appreciate once he arrives on campus.

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