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Rice Football: Austin Trammell signs UDFA deal with Atlanta Falcons

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Rice football did not see any players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, but former wide receiver Austin Trammell has since signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

The 2021 NFL Draft had a much smaller player pool this season than it typically does. Relaxed eligibility rules saw many draft-eligible upperclassmen choose to return to school, including several Rice football seniors. Wide receiver Austin Trammell was the only Owl to make a serious run at the professional ranks.

Trammell participated in the College Gridiron Showcase and did his NFL Pro Day with the University of Houston. He stopped by The Roost Podcast in the weeks prior to the draft to share what the process was like and talk about what life was like during the Owls’ unpredictable 2020 season.

After doing all he could to get himself on the radar of NFL teams, Trammell knows his next steps. Although he was not selected during the 2021 NFL Draft, Trammell has signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

Trammell’s signing is one of several such free agent agreements for Conference USA players. In total, Conference USA had four players chosen during the draft itself:

Rice Football recent NFL Draft history

The Owls’ streak of drafts without a selection has now stretched to six. Christian Covington is the most recent Rice football draftee. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Covington’s selection marked the end of a nice run of selections for Rice. From 2009 to 2015 eight Rice football players were seelcted: Jarret Dillard (2009), James Casey (2009), Cheta Ozougwu (2011), Scott Solomon (2012), Vance McDonald (2013), Luke Wilson (2013), Phillip Gaines (2014), Christian Covington (2015). McDonald was the highest selection, going No. 55 overall to the San Francisco 49ers.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 74 – Rice Football and C-USA mailbag

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We reached out to the masses for this week’s mailbag show, with topics ranging from Rice football recruiting, Conference USA towns and tacos.

Our offseason interview series took a brief pause this week. Instead, we asked our listeners what they wanted to hear about, and the range of topics did not disappoint. There’s a chance several Conference USA fan bases will have an opinion on which school has the best town in the conference. If you do, make sure to give the podcast a follow on Twitter and chime in.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 74.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Plan on hearing more from The Roost Podcast in your feed every other week as we continue our interview series. We’ll have some returning guests and hopefully a few new Owls to talk with over the next few months.
    • 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 our debriefing series on spring football, recruiting news and more.
      Become a Patron!
  • Rice Athletics and Conference USA mailbag 
    • Why doesn’t Rice use the great success of women’s sports as a springboard to join a better conference such as the Big 12 or ACC?
    • Who’s stepping up to help fill the loss of Blaze Alldredge?
    • Rank your top-5 C-USA cities outside of Houston.
    • Is Rice recruiting any legacy kids? Why or why not?
    • What’s the best taco shop in Houston?
    • What impact will COVID-19 have on the 2021 football season?

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.

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Will Rice women’s basketball win without Tina Langley? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. This update focuses on Rice women’s basketball and their new coach.

Q. Tina Langley was one of the best coaches Rice Athletics has ever had. Had it not been for COVID and a bad game in the 2021 C-USA Tournament, it’s possible Rice could have made three NCAA Tournament appearances with her direction. The new hire seems strong, but can Rice realistically maintain anywhere near this level of consistency?

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A. What Tina Langley accomplished for Rice women’s basketball was incredible. I won’t reiterate the entire list of accolades, which most of you are probably already familiar with anyhow, but to win 49-of-54 conference games (91 percent) is unbelievable at any level of collegiate athletics, and any sport, for that matter. So what does life for Rice look like after Langley?

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Rice Women’s Basketball coach Lindsay Edmonds ready to bring tempo, focus to South Main

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Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds was formally introduced this week and by all accounts, seems like a tremendous fit with the Owls.

After nearly a decade as an assistant at NC State, newly appointed Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds is ready for her next adventure. Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard formally introduced Edmonds in a virtual press conference on Monday, crediting his most recent hire as a candidate that “embodies every characteristic that we were looking for.”

Karlgaard spoke up Edmonds as a person who cared deeply about her players both on and off the court. Edmonds reaffirmed those truisms. stating multiple times in the brief sessions that she was seeking to find and develop the “total-package player,” one who values basketball, academics and personal growth.

But before she could get there, she had to make the decision to step out of her current role and embrace the Owls. “Leaving a great place is hard,” she said of her roots at NC State, “but coming to a great place is a pretty easy decision.”

Recalling her first visit to campus, Edmonds elaborated, “It became very clear, pretty quickly that Rice truly is a special place,” being sure to include a reassuring, definitive opening to her remarks, “I am very honored to be the next coach here at Rice University.”

When it came to specifics, Edmonds’ intentions were crystal clear. Off the court, she plans to prioritize building relationships with her current roster and hiring the right staff, something she emphasized as being a critical factor as a first-time head coach.

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On the court, she talked about tempo and pace, getting the ball out in transition to score. Whereas former head coach Tina Langley built her brand on ball control and tenacious defense, Edmonds seems to lean towards a more aggressive style, although she did mention a focus on rebounding and defense as well.

We’ll see Edmonds and her team on the court soon enough. For now, the important work of finding the right person for the job has been done. Edmonds aced the interview. Now she’s tasked with taking up the baton and continuing onward.

“I’m really excited about where the program is at, “she said. “I’m excited to continue on that and would love to take it a step forward.”

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – April 24

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The 2021 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 from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon has been out since April 10 with a strained groin. Reports indicate he could be back in the lineup at some point early next week, but no date has been set in stone just yet.

Through April 24, Rendon is hitting .290 with one extra-base hit, five walks and seven strikeouts. His OPS is .765.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey’s saw a bit of extra rest after a tough outing last week, but came back strong. He threw two innings this week, striking out two, walking two and allowing no runs. He picked up his second hold of the season in the process.

Through April 24, Duffey has a 3.00 ERA with a 1.833 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt strung together a couple of sturdy games in his first week back from the injured list. He’s upped his average by more than 50 points while holding down the third base spot as well as one pinch-hit appearance, his first of the season.

Through April 24, Holt has seven hits in 26 at bats, a .269 average. He’s walked seven times, struck out six times and collected three RBI.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

It was a big week for Luetege, who picked up his first major league win since Sep. 4, 2013, when he was with the Seattle Marines. This time around Luetege was called upon against the Indians, striking out one and walking one in 1.1 innings.

Along the way, Luetege has limited hard contact. Following his Friday win, Luetege led all of baseball in the lowest average exit velocity against.

Through April 24, Luetge has a 4.97 ERA with a 1.263 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

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