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Rice Football: 5 Owls participate in NFL Pro Day

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Rice football hosted its 2022 NFL Pro Day on Friday, allowing players to showcase themselves in the presence of NFL scouts.

At least 11 NFL teams flocked to Rice Stadium on April 1 to watch five Rice football players showcase their talents in a variety of athletic testing exercises and positional drills. Additional players from nearby programs such as Houston Baptist and Lamar also participated alongside those Owls.

Scouts from the following teams were present: 49ers, Browns, Broncos, Colts, Jaguars, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, Seahawks and Texans. Rice football alums Myles Adams and Emmanuel Ellerbee were in attendance to support those working out, as were a host of current Rice players who cheered loudly during the athletic testing events inside the Brian Patterson Center weight room.

More: Reviewing Luke McCaffrey’s move to wide receiver

Notable results for Rice athletes included a 40.5-inch vertical jump by safety Naeem Smith, 28 bench press reps by offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford and 25 bench reps from defensive lineman Elijah Garcia.

Below are a few updates from the players following their workouts, featuring their own sales pitches to NFL teams as well as their thoughts on their Pro Day performances as a whole. Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren also shared a few words.

The Numbers

Jordan Myers
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.69
  • Vertical Jump: 32.5″
  • Broad Jump: 9’7″
Naeem Smith
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.68
  • Vertical Jump: 40.5″
  • Broad Jump: 10’1″
Jake Constantine
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.81
  • Vertical Jump: 30″
  • Broad Jump: 8’8″
Jovaun Woolford
  • Bench Press: 28 reps
  • Vertical Jump: 26.5″
  • Broad Jump: 8’3″
Elijah Garcia
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.96
  • Vertical Jump: 30″
  • Bench Press: 25 reps

What They’re Saying

 

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Rice Football: Luke McCaffrey, Wide Receiver — Patreon Q&A

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All eyes are on the newest Rice football wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, the focal point of our March 2022 Patreon Q&A.

On the opening day of spring practice, Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren almost nonchalantly mentioned Luke McCaffrey had been the one who suggested he move from quarterback to wide receiver. The comments added further detail around the most high-profile position switch the Owls would be experimenting with this spring.

This month’s Q&A question focuses on that transition, more specifically, asking how McCaffrey looks at wide receiver so far.

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“Very Smooth”

It only took a few minutes watching scrimmage from the bleachers at Rice Stadium to lock onto the No. 12 jersey streaking across the field. I watched eagerly as the offense lined up for one-on-one wide receiver/defensive back drills.

When it was McCaffrey’s turn he shot off the line like a sprinter, froze his man on a fake and exploded again on a post route. By the time the defensive back — who saw plenty of time on the field for Rice football last season — had swung his head around to locate McCaffrey, the speedy receiver had 10 yards of separation on his man, the ball, and a clear path toward the endzone.

“I would say the transition has been very smooth,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said after practice had concluded. Very smooth, indeed.

While things never seemed to click for McCaffrey when he was lining up under center, he suddenly looks like he’s been playing his new position for quite some time. In reality, he’s been doing it for roughly two weeks.

McCaffrey called the transition “a lot of fun” and something that was, for him, “very natural.” When asked what his thought process was as a made the switch, he didn’t seem to have any regrets. “Quarterback was something I loved,” he said. “But I’m so happy I made the switch.”

Swiss Army Knife

Beyond running routes for his brothers in the backyard growing up, the wide receiver position is completely new to him. This is the first time it’s ever been his full-time responsibility. Spending so much time in the quarterback room will only help him as he relearns his role in the offense from a different vantage point.

Wide receiver coach Mike Kershaw called McCaffrey the team’s “swiss army knife” referencing a title the coaching staff once used to describe do-it-all offensive weapon, Jordan Myers. When I brought up Myers in that context, Kershaw gave a nod, going on to mention the extra gear McCaffrey has which could make him even more dangerous in the open field.

More: Rice Football and the Transfer Portal — Are the Owls better off?

“He’s that puzzle piece that has a lot of different prongs to it. The creativity you can come up with him is endless,” Kershaw said. “He will not stand in one spot.”

Kershaw wouldn’t rule out anything when it came to how Rice football might deploy McCaffrey in the offense. From the slot to the backfield to the wildcat to everything in between, there seemed to be no shortage of possibilities for how the Owls’ would utilize No. 12 in this offense.

Measured Optimism

Yes, it’s spring. It’s the first dose of football anyone has had in months and hope and aspirations run rampant. A few practices won’t turn McCaffrey into the silver bullet that takes this offense to another level. But it’s only taken a few exhibitions to reinforce the reality that McCaffrey is every bit the athlete we thought he’d be. And now he’s going to be funneled the ball with greater regularity.

The departure of Jake Bailey opens up a starting role in the slot. That’s where McCaffrey has spent most of his time lined up this far, and he’s made the most of his chances. He has real 4.4-type speed and it shows. Two weeks in, it’s already evident he has to be the Owls’ starter in the slot. How much larger of a role he commanders might be up to him and how he fairs over the next few weeks and throughout fall camp. So far, so good.

Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker
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Rice Baseball: Ninth inning rally comes up short vs TAMU CC

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Rice baseball dropped a slugfest to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the Owls’ first loss to the Islanders in 21 games between the two programs.

For the first time in program history, Rice baseball fell to Texas A&M Corpus Christ on the diamond. The Owls pushed the Islanders to the brink, but were unable to keep pace with the visiting bats, falling by a final score of 12-10.

It was apparent from the start it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing for either pitching staff. Texas A&M Corpus Christi would use eight pitchers. Rice used six. Of those 14 hurlers who took the mound at Reckling Park on Wednesday night, only five left without at least one earned run charged to their ledger.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi struck first with one run in the second. Rice responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Then the Islanders took it back as the seesawing began.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball clinches first series win, takes 2-of-3 at Marshall

From the bottom of the fifth inning through the top of the eighth, at least one run was scored in each consecutive half inning. Both teams traded leads through that period before Texas A&M Corpus Christi broke things open with a five-run eighth inning which featured four extra-base hits.

Despite the five-run deficit, Rice would threaten in the ninth before a double-play ball stranded the tying run on second base.

What it means | Paging the pen

It’s hard to fault the bats for not doing enough on a night when they managed 10 runs on 13 hits. The Rice defense played relatively well too, committing one error as they welcomed surehanded fielder Hal Hughes back to the lineup for the first time this season. The pitching, however, continues to be an adventure.

More: Rice Baseball Midseason State of the Program

Brandon Deskins was productive, working 3.2 innings of 2-run ball, allowing his first home run of the season. Outside of that and a 1-2-3 inning from Reed Gallant in the ninth, Rice struggled to get outs, even when they handed the ball to their most reliable relievers.

Tom Vincent, Cristian Cienfuegos and David Shaw combined to allow nine hits and seven earned runs in 2.0 innings of work. Bad days happen for every pitcher, but stringing three bad days together is usually indicative of a bigger problem. If Rice wants to be competitive in Conference USA, they’ve got to find more consistency on the mound.

ON DECK | Florida Atlantic

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Revised 2022 Rice Football Schedule Announced

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A revised 2022 Rice Football schedule was released by Conference USA following the departure of three schools to the Sun Belt.

For the second time this spring, Conference USA has released a football schedule. This do-over follows the joint statement from the conference office and Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss released on Tuesday which formalized the departure of those three programs to the Sun Belt.

The league office further clarified its intentions on Wednesday afternoon in this statement:

“Conference USA is excited about the future with our 11 institutions in the 2022-23 academic year, and is committed to the long-term growth of the league as we usher in new members in the coming years. As we begin this new era of Conference USA, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our student-athletes while engaging in the broader national conversation and process around changing the overall model. The landscape of college athletics has shifted expansively and we will continue to be a substantial part of that evolution.”

The revised schedule includes some shuffling around of previously scheduled games. The most notable change on the Rice front is the addition of a game against Florida Atlantic, scheduled to be played on the road on Oct. 15. This game replaces a previously scheduled contest against Southern Miss, which will no longer be a member of Conference USA at that point.

As things currently stand, here is the 2022 Rice Football schedule:

Date Opponent H/A
Sep. 3, 2022 USC Away
Sep. 10, 2022 McNeese Home
Sep. 17, 2022 Louisiana Home
Sep. 24, 2022 Houston Away
Oct. 1, 2022 UAB Home
Oct. 8, 2022 — OFF — —
Oct. 15, 2022 FAU Road
Oct. 22, 2022 Louisiana Tech Road
Oct. 29, 2022 Charlotte Home
Nov. 5, 2022 UTEP Home
Nov. 12, 2022 Western Kentucky Away
Nov. 19, 2022 UTSA Home
Nov. 26, 2022 North Texas Away

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Conference USA: Marshall, ODU and So. Miss to part ways

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Conference USA is down to 11 schools following a joint statement announcing the departure of Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.

Months of legal battles came to an unceremonious halt on Tuesday afternoon when Conference USA released two statements. The first was a joint announcement from the conference and the three (now officially) departing programs: Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss.

“Conference USA, Marshall University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Southern Mississippi have reached a resolution that allows the schools to withdraw as members at the end of the academic year. Conference USA will move forward into the 2022-23 academic year with 11 members. The Universities will compete as members of the Sun Belt Conference,” the statement read.

Fifteen minutes later, before any of the proverbial dust had settled, the league issue a second announcement, attempting to move the focus from the outgoing schools back to the conference itself.

“Conference USA is excited about the future with our 11 institutions in the 2022-23 academic year, and is committed to the long-term growth of the league as we usher in new members in the coming years,” the conference said. “As we begin this new era of Conference USA, our focus remains on providing the best possible experiences for our student-athletes while engaging in the broader national conversation and process around changing the overall model. The landscape of college athletics has shifted expansively and we will continue to be a substantial part of that evolution.”

What does this mean?

In short, not very much. This separation between the conference and these three schools has always seemed like it was coming in a matter of time. Although specific terms are reportedly not expected to be made public, reaching some middle ground financially was always thought to be the end game to this months-long saga.

What’s next for Conference USA?

The conference announced the addition of Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston, effective July 1, 2023. That’s a year away, though, meaning the current 11 schools will play through one academic calendar before those new additions arrive. That will take some creativity, but it’s doable.

The real questions start when the next wave of programs leave Conference USA for the American conference. It’s conceivable the conference might need to consider further expansion at that time. And if additional reporting is to be believed, the last domino probably hasn’t fallen just yet.

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