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Rice Football Recruiting: WVU WR Isaiah Esdale commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has added another piece from the Transfer Portal. Former WVU wideout Isaiah Esdale has committed to the Owls.

The first surprise of National Signing Day for the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class was a good one. After scouring the Transfer Portal for weeks, Rice has landed a commitment from former West Virginia wide receiver Isaiah Esdale.

Esdale was the primary punt returner for West Virginia last season and played in nine games, catching 29 passes for 362 yards and one touchdown. A slot receiver by trade, Esdale also has a 24-yard touchdown pass via a trick play under his belt as he heads to South Main to join the Owls wide receiving corps. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

When it comes to wide receivers from the Transfer Porta, Rice has had tremendous success. Bradley Rozner (2019) and Tre Patterson (2021) have both left their marks on the program in recent years. The Owls also signed former Tulsa wideout Sam Crawford in December, giving Rice one of the most experienced and deep receiving rooms they’ve had at any point under head coach Mike Bloomgren.

Esdale will slot right into the mix, competing for snaps in the crowded room. Rice football saw a large uptick in four-wide and five-wide sets last season, opening room for another slot player opposite Jake Bailey in such formations.

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Esdale has sure hands and packs a bit more of a punch than you might expect from a typical slot receiver. He can go up and get the football and win against defensive backs at the point of attack. Being a trusted outlet for quarterbacks gets you on the field and Esdale proved he can deliver when the ball is thrown his way.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO CB Ichmael Joseph commits to Owls

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The secondary of the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class got a boost this week with the commitment of JUCO corner Ichmael Joseph.

There are a few players that fly under the radar in every cycle that have the potential to make a difference at the next level. The 2022 Rice Football class hopes its found one of those hidden gems in JUCO corner Ichmael Joseph who committed to the Owls in the days leading up to National Signing Day.

Prior to the Owls swooping in at the final hour, Joseph only had Division II offers from Allen University and West Liberty. Now he’s off to play FBS football with Rice.

Part of what undoubtedly made Joseph appealing and projectable at the net level is his stature. The up-and-coming corner stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 183 pounds. Given the propensity to play a large amount of man-to-man defense, especially at the corner spots in the Owls’ defense, going after someone who can handle the physicality of receivers at the line becomes a must.

Joseph is one of a half dozen players in the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class which the Owls found in the Transfer Portal. He comes with the added benefit of three years of eligibility remaining.

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Joseph’s ability to win on an island flashes as soon as you turn on the tape. He has the strength to battle through jump balls and the discipline to use his body to his advantage, boxing out wide receivers and forcing them into difficult positions. Given some additional time with this staff to hone his craft, Joseph has the potential to make a nice impact in the Owls’ secondary in the coming years.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Grad LB Cam Dillon commits to Owls

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On the ever of National Signing Day, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up a commitment from transfer linebacker Cam Dillion.

Getting a seasoned linebacker has been a priority for the 2022 Rice football recruiting class as it nears its completion. The Owls handed out several offers to players at the position in the final weeks between the Early Signing Period and National Signing Day. Columbia grad transfer Cam Dillion answered the call, committing to Rice in the hours before National Signing Day.

Dillon entered the Transfer Portal on December 10 weeks after finishing up his season which netted him Second Team All-Ivy honors at the linebacker position. Unlike many high school recruitments, there was no string of publicized offers made to Dillon along the way, just the final announcement on Tuesday evening.

Ivy League players often transfer to play out their final season of eligibility due to league rules. The universal COVID-19 waiver will give Dillon two extra seasons remaining upon his arrival to South Main.

The need for depth at the linebacker position became increasingly evident following the season when Rice lost several players at the position to the Transfer Portal following the season. Dillon will provide much-needed support to the Owls’ remaining corps of young linebackers featuring Myron Morrison, Aidan Siano, DJ Arkansas, Kenny Seymour and others.

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Dillon finishes his tackles, that’s one of the first thing that jumps off his film. He shows good range and great instincts when the ball is in the air. Linebackers are asked to wear a variety of hats in the Rice defense. He should be able to juggle those roles well. At the very least, he should be able to find a specialized role that emphasizes what the coaching staff feels he does best.

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Brad Baur commits to Owls

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With National Signing Day looming, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up another big addition in the form of offensive lineman Brad Baur.

The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class got off to a great start in the early signing period, but a few gaps still remained. One of those needs came at offensive line, a position that accounted for roughly half of the Owls offers in December and January combined. With National Signing Day mere days away, Rice got their man. Brad Baur has committed to the Owls.

Baur is a three-star offensive lineman out of Rocklin High School in California. Rice swooped in with an offer on January 29. He committed two days later. At the time his other offers included Cal Poly, San Diego, Fordham Idaho, Portland State and others. The Owls are quite happy the 6-foot-6 people mover in the trenches is headed to Houston.

The 2022 Owls’ haul at the position in this cycle is smaller, but when paired with fellow offensive line commit Miguel Cedeno, quite powerful. Rice will bring in a few additional walk-ons at the position and may keep their eye on the transfer market should the right fit arise, but Baur and Cedeno give Rice great building blocks for the future.

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There’s a lot to like when it comes to Baur’s play on the field. He’s going to enter college with the requisite frame to play the position at the high level, that’s a strong starting point. Baur is going to be a great piece of clay for the Owls’ to work with as he continues to develop.

He plays with a lot of power in his game and that showed in much of his film. His knack for playing through the whistle and finishing plays violently will fit right in at South Main.

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Rice Women’s Basketball can’t keep up with hot-shooting Southern Miss

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Rice women’s basketball fell behind and couldn’t recover, dropping their Saturday home tilt against Southern Miss.

Fresh off their first conference win of the season, Rice women’s basketball opened Saturday’s contest with Southern Miss the same way they’ve begun the majority of their recent games, with a strong first-quarter run.

Rice jumped out to a 9-2 lead, propelled by a set of layups and a three-pointer from Maya Bokunewicz. Then they powered through a run from Southern Miss that ate up the seven-point advantage and turned into a three-point deficit by the time the opening quarter was through. Then things started to spiral.

The Owls shot 36.4 percent from the field in the second quarter but it was the seven turnovers that paralyzed the team and handed too many extra opportunities to the visiting team. Southern Miss scored 15 of their 17 second-quarter points off Rice turnovers, opening up a 12-point halftime advantage.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball holds off LA Tech for first C-USA win

Southern Miss would only heat up from there, dominating Rice on the boards in the second half 18 to 10 and shooting at a blistering 60.9 percent clip in the final 20 minutes of action. Try as they might, Rice could not keep up defensively and was unable to slow down the league’s top shooting offense.

The loss drops Rice women’s basketball’s record to 6-9 and 1-6 in Conference USA play. Five of the seven teams in the West Division currently have losing conference records.

Player Spotlight | Destiny Jackson

Jackson was one of three Owls who reached double-digit points in Saturday’s loss. She was one of the most accurate shooters on the team, converting 4-of-7 attempts and her lone three-point try. She also contributed seven assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block. Everyone on the team is being asked to do a variety of things. Jackson played well in several facets despite the loss.

Final Box | Southern Miss 78 – Rice 55

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball will play their next three games on the road starting next weekend with a Thursday trip to UTSA and a Saturday visit to UTEP. They’ll finish the road trip the following Thursday, Feb. 10, at North Texas.

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