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Rice Football Recruiting: What’s significant about September 1?

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September 1 marks the beginning of the recruiting cycle for the 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class, who are currently high school juniors.

Earlier this year the sports world ground to a standstill. There were no games played of any sort for months. Calendars were thrown into chaos and fans waited anxiously for the competition to return. Meanwhile, the recruiting world continued ahead at nearly full speed.

Limitations were put in place to safeguard in the new COVID-19 impacted reality, but college football staffs across the country kept busy regardless of what games were or weren’t played. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is proof of those efforts.

The Owls enter September with The No. 4 class in Conference USA. They have 11 commits, all but one of which has been given a 3-star rating by 247 Sports. Seven of those 11 made their pledges to Rice after April 1 when all interactions became virtual via zoom and phone calls rather than any sort of in-person visits.

If you follow Rice Football Director of Recruiting Alex Brown on Twitter, you might have noticed something else on the horizon on the recruiting front this week:

September 1 marks the first permissible contact date for college recruiting staffs with current high school juniors. That means the 2022 recruiting season has officially begun.

Rice has proven adept at identifying talent under the oversight of Alex Brown and his staff. Hired in the spring of 2019, Brown’s first class (2020) was the highest-rated class in program history. The 2021 class is currently on pace to finish near those levels, or possibly exceed them. 2022 should be another bright year on the recruiting trail for the Owls.

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How will new NCAA testing requirements impact Rice Football? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on our Patreon page get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The August edition focuses on new NCAA testing requirements.

Q. How will the NCAA’s relaxed eligiblity standards impact Rice football during this recruiting cycle? Are there any players on the fringes of eligiblity the Owls will be able to sign that they might not have been able to otherwise?

A. This is a timely topic and one which might generate some buzz when the calendar when players starting signing with schools in December. For those who hadn’t seen the news, the NCAA announced earlier this month they would waive standardized testing requires for student-athletes enrolling in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Their statement was somewhat lengthy, but here’s the important snippet:

“Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements.”

GPA requirements would still be in place, as well as qualifications for core classes. But regardless of the level of relief instituted by the NCAA, the requirements at Rice will always be the higher hurdle for potential recruits to clear.

The academic standards at Rice are rigorous. Even if omitting a test score would be enough to get them into school, staying in school and bearing the workload of a Rice football student-athlete is non-negotiable. Head coach Mike Bloomgren always says he’s looking for young men that want the “best of both worlds”.

For those reasons, Rice isn’t likely to cut any corners and “reach” for an athlete that might not have gotten in during a non-pandemic recruiting cycle. Rice is going to continue to stick to their recruiting playbook and recruit the players that fit their vision for this program, and that means they’ve got to measure up in the classroom as well as on the football field.

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College Football and COVID-19: Late August Roundup

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After an offseason riddled with cancelations and bad news, college football was played this week. Here’s a roundup of the key stories around the nation.

The offseason is finally (somewhat) over. There was college football played this week, but the status of the season is far from secure. If you want to look back at the up-and-down news cycle, you can check out the late-July edition of this update here, the early August edition here or the mid-August update here. Here’s the latest.

Central Arkansas beats Austin Peay

The opening game of the 2020 season was bizarre, perhaps fittingly. Austin Peay was without multiple starters because of COVID-19 protocols. Their top receiver did not make the trip. Neither did their longsnapper, which led to their quarterback attempting a half dozen pooch punts. With less than two minutes to play, Central Arkansas drove the length of the field,  scored, and put together one last defensive stand to secure the win.

Big 12, SEC and C-USA agree on testing protocols

Three of the five FBS conferences plaything this fall have agreed to test their athletes three times during game weeks. The first two tests of the week will be the PCR test. The third test, done Friday’s before a Saturday game, will be an antigen test with quicker results.

LSU temporarily loses offensive line to COVID-19 positives

According to The Advocate, “all but four LSU offensive lineman are in quarantine”. That’s a sobering note during the offseason, and one that could prove even more costly once the season begins. How would LSU play a game on Saturday with four healthy offensive linemen? Just one of the many concerns of playing college football in a pandemic.

Nebraska players sue Big Ten

Of the Big Ten’s member programs, Nebraska was one of the most outspoken critics of the conference’s decision to forgo a fall football seaosn. Now some of its players have taken that criticism one step further. This week a group of eight players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten Conference seeking a reversal of that decision. The Big Ten was quickly dismissive, saying the lawsuit had “no merit.”

Troy postpones first game

Revised conference schedules were created with flexibility. Games were going to be impacted by the virus, building in the ability to push games back and reschedule was a must. Those changes are already happening. Troy delayed it’s Sept. 5 opener against ULM to Dec. 5 after ULM announced they would be unable to play because of positive tests among members of their football program.

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Rice Football announces 2020 schedule, game times and tv info

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The 2020 Rice Football schedule has start times and TV information. With kickoff approaching, here’s where you can watch the Owls this season.

All currently scheduled Rice games are expected to be televised on Saturdays on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. You can subscribe to ESPN+ here.

Conference USA games will be broadcast on a combination of several media platforms including ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN+, CBS Sports Network and Stadium. Nonconference games could be featured on other networks depending on affiliations of the host broadcast partners.

Listen Now: Check out our Rice Football season preview episodes on The Roost Podcast

The 2020 C-USA Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5. It will be aired on CBS Sports Network with a kickoff time to be announced at a later date.

Rice is scheduled to begin their season on Saturday, Oct. 3 againast Marshall. Their home opener is slated for the following weekend against UAB at 6:00 p.m. The remainder of the home games will be afternoon kickoffs.

The entirety of the C-USA schedule is available here. Southern Miss is the first C-USA team scheduled to play this season. They will host South Alabama on Thursday, Sept. 9 on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.

Here’s the 2020 Rice Football schedule

10/3 @Marshall ESPN3/+ 1:00 p.m. CT
10/10 UAB ESPN3/+ 6:00 p.m. CT
10/24 Middle Tenn ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
10/31 @So. Miss ESPN3/+ 2:00 p.m. CT
11/7 UTSA ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
11/14 @LA Tech ESPN3/+ 2:30 p.m. CT
11/21 @North Texas ESPN3/+ 1:00 p.m. CT
11/28 UTEP ESPN3/+ 12:00 p.m. CT

Whether there is football this fall or not, there’s going to be plenty to process as everyone works to find a new equilibrium in college sports. Stay current on those updates and following the always-active recruiting cycle by subscribing to The Roost on Patreon today.

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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 27

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The 2020 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are making noise. Here’s the latest on the MLB Owls from the week of August 27.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a stretch earlier this year where he went 0-for-21. Whether it was some rust from a longer than expected offseason or some bad luck, his slump has been emphatically ended.

From August 10 to August 24, Rendon hit .482 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 56 at bats. His OPS was 1.336. As David Adler points out in the tweet and story below, Rendon has been as consistent as ever.

According to Adler, “Rendon has been doing everything right when it comes to his hallmark, plate discipline. He was always swinging at all the right pitches; he just needed to hit them. Now the hits are coming. No one should be surprised.” Rice baseball fans certainly aren’t.

Through August 27, Rendon is hitting .316 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 19 strikeouts. His OPS is .982.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey is the only player in baseball who has appeared in at least 12 games with an ERA below 1.00 and a WHIP below .500. He’s just been dominant, allowing one hit or less in 11 of his 12 outings. He had two single-inning outings this week, striking out two batters apiece in each frame.

Through August 27, Duffey has a 0.75 ERA with a .417 WHIP. He’s averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Other Owls

Brock Holt was released on Thursday after the Brewers designated him for assignment last week. He hit .100 in 30 at bats this season before being released. His versatility and reliable glove should get him another shot with a big league team in the future.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool as he rehabs from an offseason injury. There haven’t been any updates regarding his status or when he might rejoin the team since the season began. Arizona could certainly use him.

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