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Rice Football 2019 National Signing Day live tracker

February 6, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

National Signing Day is here and the 2019 Rice football class is being finalized. Here are the latest news and updates as they come in.

More: Check out the latest list of 2019 Rice football commitments and signees

4:46 p.m. – Update

Progress is being made on multiple fronts concerning potential grad transfers. There isn’t likely to be another announcement today, but there are a few guys that are varying degrees of close to coming on board.

3:55 p.m. – Not done yet

Bloomgren confirmed during his press conference this afternoon the 2019 class is not yet complete. There are a handful of grad transfer targets still out there which the staff is working to finalize in addition to the ones who have signed thus far.

1:28 p.m. – Two more walk-ons

  • Linebacker Edmond Lahlouh
  • Offensive lineman Isaac Klarkowksi

1:05 p.m. – More walk-ons coming through

  • Punter Charlie Mendes
  • Offensive lineman Connor Hughes
  • Wide receiver Bennett Mecom
  • Offensive lineman Jerry Johnson

12:05 p.m. – Preferred walk-on update

There is some paperwork to sort out before Rice can formally announce preferred walk-ons. There will be a few introduced today and many more in the days to come. Here’s who’s in right now:

  • Running back Ayden Noriega
  • Offensive lineman Nick Wagman
  • Safety Chike Anigbogu

11:40 a.m. – Update

With the addition of Chaffin, the 2019 signing class is up to 21 players.

16 high school signees
2 JUCO players: Smith, Rozner
3 Grad transfers: Leverett, Stewart, Chaffin

That leaves Rice with four open spots for this class but National Signing Day isn’t over yet. There should be at least a few more commitments coming down the pipe, if not today, then in the coming weeks.

11:29 a.m. – Stanford transfer Brian Chaffin has committed to Rice.

11:06 a.m. – Tom Stewart is in.

10:06 a.m. – Update

All three of the expected high school additions have submitted their Letter of Intent. We’re stilling waiting on an official announcement on Harvard transfer Tom Stewart. Word on his addition should come around lunch time. He won’t be the only additional name added to this class by late afternoon.

9:31 a.m. – De’Braylon Carroll has sent in his Letter of Intent.

8:19 a.m. Update

Two signatures in so far from a pair of committed players. We’re still waiting on two more commits and should sign another few prospects who have not made a public announcement yet. More to come.

8:15 a.m. – Jovoni Johnson has sent in his Letter of Intent.

7:51 a.m. – Myron Morrison has sent in his Letter of Intent.

7:10 a.m.

Here we go. First signature could be coming in any time now. Hurry up and wait.

Wednesday – 5:30 a.m.

Letters of intent can be sent in starting at 8:00 a.m. local times. That means we could see things start rolling as early as 7:00 a.m. CT.

Tuesday

Rice has four players committed players expected to sign on National Signing Day. All four have solidified their commitments in the past month, leaving little concern among the staff that any sort of 11th-hour defection might occur this time around. If things go to plan, we’ll see signatures from quarterback Jovoni Johnson, quarterback Tom Stewart, linebacker Myron Morrison and defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll.

On the eve of National Signing Day, we made predictions for which additional names could jump on board here.

As the 2019 class started to close, Rice sent out a flurry of offers for 2020. This was the first batch of offers Rice had extended to anyone out of the 2019 class. Notable names include Bishop Lynch safety Plae Wyatt and Tomball Memorial wideout Logan Kyle. Expect things to pick up on that front in short order.

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Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls

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Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls

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Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class didn’t have to go far to add a difference maker in the secondary. Cy Falls corner back James Henderson has committed to the Owls. Even in today’s ever-changing recruiting environment, getting players to campus remains a crucial piece of the process. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class set itself […]

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Rice Football Recruiting: EDGE JD Singletary commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has added another pass rusher to its ranks. Middletown (OH) edge JD Singletary has committed to the Owls. The defensive front is looking rather nice as far as the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is concerned. Following a commitment from defensive end Quincy Tchikou to kick off the month […]

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2019 Rice Football recruiting National Signing Day predictions

February 5, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

National Signing Day is upon us and the 2019 Rice Football signing class is nearly complete. Here’s how the Owls will look to finish.

Rice signed 17 players during the early signing period in December. Since then they’ve picked up commitments from four scholarship players, bringing their total up to 21 commitments on the eve of National Signing Day.

They’ve also added a host of preferred walk-ons, including a trio of players who made announcements on Monday: running back Ayden Noriega, safety Chike Anigbogu and wide receiver Bennett Mecom

The Owls have five spots remaining, but there isn’t a rush to fill them at all costs. The coaching staff is going to stay tuned in to the transfer markets as the day unfolds. Don’t be surprised to see a spot (or two) unused by the end of the day on Wednesday. The Transfer Portal will remain open for a while, giving the teams and players ample time to feel out which situations work best for all parties involved.

Here’s how the class is most likely to finish

QB – Stewart*, Johnson
OL – Riddle, Jones, Leverett*, [Chaffin*], [Gooseberry*]
WR – Knipe, Rozner*
TE – Bradley
FB – [Williams*]
RB – King
DL – Floyd, Bickham, Pearcy, Carroll
LB – Braden, Morrison 
S – Henry, Lockhart, Smith*
CB – Bailey, Landrum
K – Hoban

* = Graduate or JUCO transfer
(italics) = unsigned players
[projected additions]

That projection calls for three new additions: Stanford transfers Brian Chaffin and Reagan Williams as well as OBU offensive lineman Justin Gooseberry. Other targets Mike Hinton, Kenyon Reed, Ardell Brown and others remain options, but none are probable to sign with the Owls on Wednesday. Any of that trio of grad transfers could decide to keep their options open too, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Don’t Miss: Full commitments profiles on each of Rice football 2019 signees and commits

If Rice can pick up at least two of those grad transfers before they close the book on the 2019 class, they’ll be in good shape. Even if they don’t this is shaping up to be another strong class for Mike Bloomgren and his staff headed into Year 2.

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Aston Walter granted additional year of eligibility by NCAA

February 4, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football running back Aston Walter will return to South Main in 2019 after being granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA.

In what has to be seen as a sign of good fortune for Rice football as the team heads into 2019, the NCAA has granted running back Aston Walter an additional year of eligibility. The young team will be flush with freshman and sophomore on the two-deep this fall. That makes the retention of a veteran leader who can contribute to the team on and off the field extremely important.

Aston signed with Rice in 2014 his brother Austin Walter. After redshirting his freshman season, Aston saw minimal usage in 2015 — 10 carries for 41 games. He scored his first touchdown in 2015, carrying the ball 23 times for 141 yards, also catching two touchdown passes.

The 2017 season was lost almost entirely. Aston registered a single carry against UTEP before suffering a shoulder injury which sidelined him for the year. He returned to a crowded backfield in 2018, fighting for carries with his brother Austin, Emmanuel Esukpa and later freshman Juma Otoviano.

Aston came in on spot duty throughout the year, picking important third downs and making big plays. As the season progressed, he proved to be one of the most reliable ball carriers on the team. His consistency earned him more touches and he made those touches count.

In his fifth year on campus, Aston saw some of his most productive games of this collegiate career last season. He tallied 72 yards rushing against Louisiana Tech and LSU in consecutive weeks, just the second and third time rushing for more than 50 yards in his career.

He returns to a backfield in 2019 which he’ll share with Otoviano and freshman Jawan King, among others.

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Quarterback Jovoni Johnson commits to Owls

February 2, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football has a quarterback in their 2019 class. Arkansas native Jovoni Johnson has committed to Mike Bloomgren and the Owls.

Houston, we have a quarterback. After a surprise decommitment from long-time commit Trevor Bycznski on the first day of the early signing period, Rice was left in need of a signal caller. The Owls could have gotten by without signing a high school quarterback in the 2019 class, but the number of injuries suffered at the position last year combined with roster turnover made getting at least one a clear priority.

After whittling down their list to a select few, Rice keyed in on Conway, Arkansas product Jovoni Johnson. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound dual threat quarterback held offers from Central Arkansas, Delta St, Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech. Instead of staying near home, he elected to head south to Houston. Johnson made his pledge to Rice during the Owls’ first official visit weekend of 2019.

Johnson brings a unique skillset to the table. Not only can he sling it, but he also carries the ball with power. Slides don’t make the highlight tapes, neither does throwing the ball away. Nevertheless, Johnson’s willingness to power through contact and make plays however possible make his upside exciting. A year or two under the tutelage of Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Jerry Mack should unlock even more ability from an already talented athlete.

The quarterback room is better and much more diverse with the addition of Johnson. Adding his skillset to the flashes of production this offense saw from Wiley Green and Evan Marshman last season makes for a brighter future for Rice quarterbacks in 2019 and beyond. Johnson is a big pickup for this class and one of the finishing touches for the staff in the final days before National Signing Day.

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MBB: Owls best Charlotte for first conference road win

February 1, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice basketball capped off the month of January with their first road victory in conference play, taking down Charlotte 65-61.

It didn’t take long for Rice to get rolling on Thursday night in North Carolina. After trading punches with the home team the Owls extended their early lead to 11 points, the widest advantage they’d had at the midpoint of any game yet this year.  Things were looking good.

A double-digit lead against a 5-win team is right where the Owls had hoped to be, but life is never easy on the road. Charlotte battled back, erasing the deficit and then some as they outscored the Rice 17-4 in the first eight minutes of the second half. The shots weren’t falling, but Rice persevered.

Rather than cave, the Owls battled back overcoming a 38.5 percent shooting night with 11 made three-pointers on 22 shots. Trey Murphy, Ako Adams and Robert Martin all got involved from deep as the Owls pulled away for their first CUSA road win of the season.

Box

PLAYER FG 3PT FT OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
J. Williams 0-5 0-2 2-2 3 7 10 2 0 1 4 3 2
Q. Millora-Brown 2-4 0-0 2-2 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 6
D. Peterson 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0
C. Mullins 2-11 1-2 0-2 1 2 3 4 1 0 0 2 5
A. Adams 4-9 3-6 5-6 0 5 5 4 0 1 3 1 16
R. Martin 5-8 3-5 2-2 2 5 7 2 0 0 4 2 15
J. Parrish 3-6 0-1 3-4 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 2 9
P. Moore 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
T. Murphy III 4-5 4-5 0-1 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 2 12

Player of the game – Ako Adams

Rice trailed 58-53 with less than 3:30 remaining in the contest. They needed someone to seize control and will the team to victory. Ako Adams stepped up scoring eight of the final 12 points for Rice, doubling the amount of scoring he’d racked up in 36 minutes over the final minutes. The junior point guard has been a pacesetter for the Owls this season. When he’s clicking, the entire offense is better.

Up Next

The road trip continues on Saturday. Rice will stick around the east coast, heading north to Virginia to take on a red-hot Old Dominion squad that’s won four of their last five games. Knocking off the Monarchs would be the Owls’ most impressive conference win to date.

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