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Rice Football Recruiting: Robust recruiting hauls continue with 2021 class

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National Signing Day is in the books and another highly-rated Rice football recruiting class is on its way to South Main.

Rice Football announced the hiring of Mike Bloomgren on December 6, 2017. He assembled his first official Rice Football recruiting class in the immediate weeks that followed. That first group, pulled together almost on the fly, ranked No. 12 in Conference USA and No. 117 in the nation. That set the floor.

It’s not uncommon for recruiting classes to wane in transition years, but that class actually was five spots better in the national ranks than the year prior (No. 122) and marginally better ranked. Things ticked upward in the following cycle for 2019 when Rice signed the No. 111 class in the nation and the No. 11 class in C-USA. The seemingly modest improvement proved to be the fifth most talented class in program history.

That 2019 group contained impact players like Bradley Rozner, Naeem Smith, De’Braylon Carroll, Jake Bailey and Tre’shon Devones, among others. Then Bloomgren and Co. signed the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class which earned the distinction of being the highest-rated class in school history. And now comes 2021.

With National Signing Day in the books, Rice holds the No. 93 class in the nation and the No. 5 class in Conference USA. It’s the first time Rice has finished in the top five in its conference in recruiting since 2013. From a rankings perspective, it’s the third-most talented class Rice has ever signed.

Stay Tuned: The Roost Podcast – NSD Breakdown coming soon

In short, Rice has signed three of their five most talented classes in program history in the past three seasons. Take a look:

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting
Rice football has signed three of their top five classes in program history in the past three recruiting cycles. (No. 1 – 2020, No. 3 – 2021, No. 5 – 2019 : No. 2 – 2010, No. 4 – 2013).

Bloomgren signees account for three of the top 10 highest-rated recruits the Owls have ever signed. That list includes safety Gabe Taylor (No. 1),  linebacker DJ Arkansas (No. 7) and wide receiver Jake Bailey (No. 8), one from each of the last three classes.

All this comes with the understood caveat that rankings systems aren’t perfect. But the current staff can’t fix inherent flaws in that system. All they can do is ensure they bring the best talent they can to South Main. Through four cycles, they’ve fulfilled that objective emphatically.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 National Signing Day Live Blog

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class is wrapping up. Follow all the action here as the Owls close out another strong haul.

Everything in college football comes back to recruiting. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class hopes to build on a strong foundation and raise the Owls to new heights. This live tracker will follow all the latest news and updates through the day, with further updates on the class as its finalized. If you’re not a subscriber yet, here’s your chance.

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Which newcomers are program-changing talents? Who is the diamond in the rough? More to come. For the time being, let’s dig into the latest from National Signing Day, below.

NSD Recap

Rice Football Recruiting: Robust recruiting hauls continue with 2021 class

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Rice Football Recruiting: What to expect from 2021 National Signing Day

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class will be nearly complete on Wednesday. Here’s what we’re watching on National Signing Day and beyond.

National Signing Day is on Wednesday, February 3. As we did during the Early Signing Period, we’ll have a Live Blog. (Not a subscriber, we’ve unlocked this post to give you a flavor of what to expect — live updates, when we get them).

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After the dust settles, there will be more. Make sure you’re subscribed to The Roost Podcast wherever you listen to your shows and stay tuned here for further recruiting notes in the coming weeks. Our subscribers will get breakdowns of both sides of the ball, class superlatives, details on how the new Owls will fit into the existing roster and more.

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Rice Basketball: 2020-2021 Mid-conference play State of the Program

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After a hot start, Rice basketball hit a rough patch in the early portion of Conference USA play. Can the Owls rebound and finish strong?

Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera couldn’t have asked for much better than his team’s 9-3 start to the 2020-2021 season. The Owls surged through non-conference play, albeit against a relatively light slate, and started out C-USA action 3-1 with a road win at UTEP.

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Since that win over UTEP, they’ve gone 1-4, beating Old Dominion at home before losing a rematch with the Monarchs then dropping both games at UAB and two more to North Texas. The underlying concerns for the losing streak can be traced back to a few key reasons, some within the Owls control, and some beyond.

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Rice Basketball: North Texas defense stifles Owls in home-away series

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Rice basketball dropped both games of the home-and-away series against North Texas, succumbing to the tenacious Mean Green defense.

Rice basketball seems to always find a way to play things close against North Texas. The Owls’ kicked off a strong start to the backend of Conference USA action with an upset win over the Mean Green last season. Each of the 2021 meetings delivered its fair share of thrill.

The Owls looked composed and ready from the start, even without Chris Mullins or Ege Havsa available for the series. The reinsertion of Travis Evee to the lineup and the steadying presence of Max Fiedler enabled Rice to take a 37-36 lead into halftime of the first game.

Both teams would trade baskets, setting up a critical stretch in the final minutes. Quincy Olivari made three free throws to make it a one-point game in favor of North Texas. Then the Mean Green buckled down and made key shots down the stretch while Rice came up just short. Rice tried to extend the game with fouls, but Javion Hamlet was almost automatic from the stripe, helping boost him to a career-best 30-point performance.

Fiedler paced Rice out of the gates in the second game with a 4-for-4 start from the field, but the North Texas defense was suffocating. Rice attempted just six three point attempts in the first half, making one, as they fell behind 34-23. Rice would shoot 3-for-17 from three and fall 79-53.

Player Spotlight | Travis Evee

Evee wasn’t available when Rice played at UAB in the previous series and his absence was felt. The Rice shooting attack is best when the Owls have options on the outside and don’t have to rely on any one man to shoot lights out on any given night. That said, Evee has shown a propensity to be the guy that gets hot and stays hot.

Evee scored 21 points in the Friday opener and nine in the Sunday finale. He led the team in three point shots made (four) and threes attempted (10). He also added a perfect 6-for-6 line from the charity stripe. He was consistent and effective, despite playing 70 of 80 possible minutes.

Stat Corner | All about the boards

Rice basketball is 7-2 this season when they outrebound their opponents. When the Owls lose the rebounding battle, they’re 3-6. It’s somewhat of a conventional basketball truism, but it rings especially true for the Owls, who typically employ a large volume of shots from deep. The effectiveness of the three point shot is amplified by the additional opportunities on the offensive glass and by turning opponents away on the other side of the court.

Rice had five offensive rebounds on Friday and was outrebounded 31-26 overall. They lost the rebound battle on Sunday as well, 34-27. Not getting those extra opportunities, combined with the unwavering North Texas defense would prove too much to overcome.

Up Next

Next weekend should trend back toward normal when the Owls trade a Friday/Sunday multi-city series for a Friday/Saturday pair of matches. Assuming no interruptions, Rice will play two home games against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles have lost four consecutive games and are last in the West standings with a 3-7 conference record. Look for a mid-conference update on the Owls for our Patreon subscribers on Monday.

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