The source for Rice sports news

Recruiting: Top JUCO and grad transfers targets set for visit

By

The 2019 Rice football recruiting class is filling up. The Owls have their eyes on a few veteran players who could provide instant impact.

As soon as the last game ended Mike Bloomgren and the coaching staff took to the road, scouring the country to add more top players to the fold. During the week they’ve been on the road. The weekends, for the most part, have been reserved for bringing recruits to campus for visits.

Over the first two weekends of December they’ve hosted a dozen commits and priority targets. Another group of players will be on campus this weekend in the final push before the early signing period begins on December 19.

In addition to commits Jawan King, Zane Knipe, Jack Bradley and Garrett Braden, the Owls are hosting several high school seniors and a combination of graduate transfer and Junior College (JUCO) players.

I’ll dig into the high school targets at a later time, let’s tackle the JUCO and grad potential grad transfers first. These four players will be on campus this weekend. Each has the potential to play a meaningful role for Rice this season:

Nick Leverett – Offensive Line, North Carolina Central (Grad Transfer)

The departure of senior Sam Pierce at the right tackle position leaves a hole to fill on the line which has quickly become extremely young. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Leverett was a three-year starter at NC Central. He could slide into the starting left tackle position in the fall. 

Justice Shelton-Mosley – Wide Receiver, Harvard (Grad Transfer)

A California native, Justice Shelton-Mosley intends to transfer from Harvard after graduating with a degree in Economics. He’ll leave the Crimson third all-time in school history in catches (148) and receiving yards (1,921). He also returned punts and kicks, scoring three. He provides top-level speed and would be a tremendous weapon to add to special teams with the departure of Austin Walter.

Morgan Vest – Safety, Kilgore (JUCO)

A former walk-on at South Carolina, Morgan Vest is a Leander, Tx native who transfered to Kilgore Junior College to be closer to home. He was a two-year starter at the JUCO level where he racked up 139 tackles and three interceptions. He plays downfield well, aggressively pursuing ball carries from the secondary. His other offers include UAB and UTPB.

Naeem Smith – Defensive Back, Ellsworth Community College (JUCO)

An All-Conference player in two seasons at the JUCO level, Smith might be the most impactful player the Owls will have on campus this weekend. At 5-foot-11, 195 pounds he’s a natural safety, but the staff believes he has the athleticism to play corner as well. That flexibility is a plus, but his best trait by far is his willingness to make hard-hitting tackles at the line of scrimmage. Smith could be a game-changer for this secondary. His other offers include Northern Iowa and Old Dominion.

Closing thoughts

Rice is going to continue to build through strong recruiting classes built primarily of four-year type players. JUCO and Grad transfers have a narrower span of eligibility, but should come in ready to play quickly, something else this team needs at a few key positions. The Owls are in good position to land at least one during this recruiting cycle.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Looking ahead at the Owls’ 2019 Schedule

By

Rice football has a schedule, sort of. With the game dates still to be set the Owls now know all of their 2019 opponents.

2019 Rice Football opponents

HomeAway
Wake ForestArmy
BaylorUTSA
Southern MissUAB
North TexasUTEP
Louisiana TechMiddle Tennessee
Marshall
Texas (at NRG Stadium)

1. More home games

Rice played 13 games last season, but the majority of them were away from Rice stadium. They’ll get the reverse in 2019, with seven games played in Houston including one game against the Texas Longhorns at NRG Stadium. The mass of burnt orange will still be plentiful, but staying home is always preferable to a long road trip.

2. Statement games

Rice gets three Power 5 opponents in Houston in 2019: Baylor, Wake Forest and Texas. The Owls won their first CUSA game in November, making an upset of this proportion seem a bit farfetched, but crazier things have happened and that’s why they play the games.

All three of these games come relatively early in the season giving the Owls a chance to get a quick jump on their opponent as both sides work out the kinks. Rice took Hawaii and Houston to the brink early on in 2018, coming a few plays short. 

3. Tough draw from the East

The final two teams added to the schedule were Marshall and Middle Tennessee. The Owls couldn’t have gotten much more challenging of a draw. MTSU was only CUSA team to beat eventual conference champion UAB. Rick Stockstill was named CUSA Coach of the Year for his efforts. The Blue Raiders will need to find a new starting quarterback, but they’ll still be a formibable opponent, especially on the road.

Marshall finished as the runner up in the East in 2018, narrowly missing out on a divisional crown themselves. The Thundering Herd have gone to bowl games in five of the last six seasons, winning double-digit games in three of those seasons under current head coach Doc Holliday.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice WBB: Owls off to another hot start

By

Rice women’s basketball is red-hot. The Owls are winners of six in a row at the midpoint of their 2018 non-conference schedule.

The 2018-2019 season has been more of the same so far for the Rice Owl’s women’s basketball squad, in many ways picking up right where they left off from a 23-10 campaign a season ago. This team was picked to finish second in CUSA in the preseason with five first place votes. Everything they’ve done to this point confirms those expectations are well within reach.

Leading the way on offense once again is Erica Ogwumike. The junior guard is averaging 19.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Rice has been buoyed by continual strong showings from Ogwumike backed by consistent production from players like Nicole Iademarco (7.4 pts, 5.0 reb, 1.9 asst) and Lauren Grigsby (9.9 pts, 2.5 reb, 56.5 percent from three)

It’s been a combined team effort, once again, leaving plenty of reasons to be hopeful about what’s to come for this team in the near future. 

After a bumpy start which featured losses to Texas A&M and UCLA, a pair of strong Power 5 teams, the Owls have reeled off six straight victories. They now sit at 6-2, with four games remaining between them and the start of conference play.

Rice gets SMU at home on Dec. 15 before traveling to the east coast for the Carolinas Challenge featuring games against North Carolina (Dec. 18) and Coastal Carolina (Dec. 20) in Myrtle Beach, SC. Then they’ll cap off 2018 with a road contest against Incarnate Word on Dec. 29. After New Year’s celebrations, they’ll take to the road once again for the start of Conference USA action against Southern Miss on Jan. 3. 

The Owls should have a strong shot at winning each of those contests. If they win all four, they’ll tie last year’s 10-2 start in nonconference play.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Owls in the NFL – Week 14

By

Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 14 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Converted three extra points in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. He missed one field goal and had a second blocked on the final play of regulation. Next week the Steelers host the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 16.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Had one tackle for a loss in a two-tackle effort in the Bears upset of the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Next week the Bears host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, December 16.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Registered two quarterback hits and one sack against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Both totals tied JJ Watt for the team lead. Next week the Texans travel to New York to play the Jets on Saturday, December 15.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Missed Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers with a knee injury. Next week the Browns travel to Denver to play the Broncos on Saturday, December 15.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – Caught four passes for 37 yards with a long of 19 yards against the Oakland Raiders. He finished third on the team in receiving, with two more yards than Antonio Brown. Next week the Steelers host the New England Patriots on Sunday, December 16.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. Next week the Vikings host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 16.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. He will not play this season. Next week the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, December 15.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Started against the Arizona Cardinals but was held without a catch. Next week the Lions travel to Buffalo to play the Bills on Sunday, December 16.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football 2018 Team MVP: Austin Walter

By

From start to finish Austin Walter put the team on his back, doing more than enough to be named the 2018 Rice football team MVP.

The 2018 Rice football team was built on young legs. Only four upperclassmen started the Owls’ final game of the regular season as the coaching staff opted to continue building toward the future. That bright future is possible because of the efforts of team players like Austin Walter who did everything that was asked of him and then a little more.

As the staff tinkered with the depth chart, working diligently to get the right players in the right places, Walter produced everywhere. Whether he was lined up in the backfield or split out wide, the senior from Crosby, TX was one of the most reliable players on the entire roster throughout the 2018 season.

The Roost Podcast: Get the latest Rice Football news and analysis

Walter finished the year with 1,580 all-purpose yards, 17th most in the nation. That total included 564 yards rushing, 525 yards receiving and 491 kick return yards. He averaged 27.3 yards per return, eighth best in the nation. At one point during the season, he led the nation in all-purpose yardage. That’s no small feat for a player on an offense that wasn’t all that efficient and struggled to stay on the field.

The success for Walter was bittersweet. He admitted going out on top with his best statistical year was special, but added he was “not as happy” as he could have been given the two-win season. “I wanted to leave a legacy as a team,” said Walter, “but God has a bigger plan for all of us… looking back at it, there’s nothing I regret.”

As young as this team is, they won’t have many holes in the two-deep to fill next season. The gap in the offense left by Walter will be the toughest to patch and will likely require a combination of players to match what Walter was able to do on his own.

That’s because he was more than just a running back, more than a receiver and more than a kick returner. He was a leader in the locker room and the key cog in a team still learning their own identity. Hats off to you Austin Walter, the 2018 Rice football MVP.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts