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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Corner Jordan Dunbar commits to Owls

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There’s no stopping the momentum of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class, who added another big-time defensive pledge, this time from corner Jordan Dunbar.

The Owls’ productive spring on the recruiting trail has bled into the summer. The string of success the Owls have had to this point hasn’t come by accident. Their intentional, relentless efforts have paid off so far, and they paid off again as another priority target has decided it’s time for him to make things official. Corner Jordan Dunbar has committed to Rice Football.

The Iona Prep defensive back made the weekend trip from New York to South Main with anticipation. Both he and the coaching staff had felt his decision was imminent. Sure enough, he made his decision public, announcing his official commitment to the Owls.

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Before he shut things down in favor of the Owls, Dunbar had options. The 5-foot-11 corner had 21 offers ranging from the Ivy Leagues to Tulane, FAU, Army and Air Force. He’d been near the top of the board after receiving his offer from Rice in May and felt the tug to come down south and be a part of what Rice is building.

Dunbar the second player at the position in this class for Rice, joining Missouri City’s Devin Gunter who made his commitment to Rice on June 13. He’s also the fourth man to join the 2020 class this month.

There’s a lot to like about Dunbar on the field. He’s relentless in pursuit and plays with intensity. He has a proven ability to play on an island and win one-on-one battles, something he’ll do a lot of during his time at South Main. Dunbar is an asset in coverage and he should only get better with more time on the field during his senior year.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls host Junior Day for 2020 targets

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It’s the final big weekend of the summer for the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. The Owls have more important players on campus for a Junior Day this weekend.

Rice is hosting a junior day today with about 30 kids in attendance from all positions. For many of them, it’ll be their first time on campus to work out in front of the Rice staff. This will be the last camp of the summer before the recruiting dead period begins next week and no in person visits are permitted.

Current commits Brady Feeney, Braeden Nutter, Trey Phillippe and Kobe Campbell are all expected to be in attendance.

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The most interesting names to note will be two of the Owls’ priority targets. Linebacker Geron Hargon and wide receiver Zion Childress are both going to be on campus. If there are going to be any commitments during the weekend, those two would be the most likely to pull the trigger.

Childress has flirted with Rice for some time, developing rather strong relationships with the current members of the class and the coaches. He’s close. Hargon has narrowed his decision down to two schools: Rice and UAB. He says he’s at the point where he’s starting to feel comfortable with his choices. He’s likely to announce one way or another relatively soon.

On the quarterback front things seem to be in the “wait and see” mode. Rice has seen several guys throw this summer and is making a list of guys they’d like to keep tabs on during the fall. It’s most likely they take one guy at the position in this class and they’re making sure they offer the one they want for the long haul.

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Rice Baseball: MLB Draft decisions loom for six Owls

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Rice baseball will lose a handful of players to the MLB Draft this fall, but the roster continues to improve as new recruits choose the Owls.

The Owls roster will feature some familiar faces and some very new names in 2020. The first notable changes will be determined in the coming months as each of the six recent MLB draftees make decisions on their professional baseball futures.

Matt Canterino, Evan Kravetz and Garrett Gayle will be playing pro ball next season, that’s definitive. What’s less clear is what the remaining three drafted Rice baseball players — Roel Garcia, Addison Moss and Trei Cruz — will choose to do.

As of this moment, it’s most likely all three of them return. However, the Tampa Bay Rays plan to fly to Houston to see Moss pitch in the coming weeks. If any of those three opt for pro ball this year, he seems to be the most likely candidate. The entire trio have the skillsets to climb into Top 10 round picks next season with strong fall seasons and reinvigorated springs. Their opportunity suggest at least one more year at South Main.

Incoming talent

Assuming the reinsertion of Garcia and Moss, the Rice pitching staff could be in better shape than expected considering the loss of two Top 5 round draft selections. Rice is going to add some JUCO guys on the mound expected to contribute quickly.

Reinforcements are coming to the lineup, too. Finding another left handed bat was a must in this recruiting cycle as was adding more power. The Owls feel like they accomplished both of those things. Altogether, they’ll add a dozen new players to the roster this fall.

The pipeline continues further than that, though. Rice has eight players committed in the 2021 class, one which should, at least on paper, be the most talented class Bragga has ever recruited as a head coach. I asked about the influx of talent Rice was bringing into their program, asking him if it seems like he’s “Recruiting at the level that you need to…

“….go to Omaha,” Bragga finished. “At the end of the day, that’s the goal.” Rice has work to do before they return to the College World Series. But it’s encouraging to see the groundwork is being laid.

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Rice Football Recruiting: It’s move in day for 2019 signees

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The 2019 Rice Football freshman class arrives on campus today, complete with new living places and new numbers for their jerseys in the fall.

The calendar says June but it’s officially football season for the Owls’ incoming recruiting class. Wednesday is move in day for the freshman who will flock to South Main from as far away as California (four) and New Jersey (two).

Some players, like the Owls’ first commit Jack Bradley, have been waiting almost a year for their announcements to materialize into the full college experience. Others like walk on Hunter Hanley, have been committed to Rice for less than two weeks.

Although the time to don shoulder pads and start hitting on the field is a ways away each of the new Owls will benefit from this early time with their new teammates.

Each new addition has had a copy of the virtual playbook to study over the summer. The remainder of June and the beginning of July will be time for them to fully immerse themselves in the new language and establish a “new normal” before classes begin.

Along with new rooms and roommates, the freshman class has always received their jersey numbers. As will be the caveat with most football related information until the fall, those too could change in the coming months. For now, here’s what number each of the new Owls will be wearing:

3. Jovoni Johnson
9. Kirk Lockhart
11. Jake Bailey
13. Zane Knipe
14. Joshua Landrum
16. Zach Hoban
19. Tre’shon Devones
22. Jawan King
26. Hunter Henry
27. Ayden Noriega
29. Chike Anigbogu
38. Jashon Palmer
41. Garrett Braden
51. Will Martinez
54. Issac Klarkowski
56. Edmond Lahlouh
57. Myron Morrison
59. Jerry Johnson III
67. Connor Hughes
72. Hunter Jones
74. Nick Wagman
79. Regan Riddle
84. Bennett Mecom
87. Jack Bradley
89. Miles Adams
91. Charlie Mendes
94. Josh Pearcy
95. Izeya Floyd
96. DeBraylon Carroll
97. Adrian Bickham

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls soar up rankings as 2020 class bonds

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is becoming a family, one that’s adding talent players to it at an almost unprecedented pace.

Sunday night was a big one for the 2020 Rice football recruiting class. The Owls hosted all of their in-state commits plus a few notable targets for an unofficial visit. Given the proximity of coach Bloomgren’s house to campus, the guys were able to gather at his place to hang out and bond with each other and the coaching staff.

From all accounts, the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone had a good time. Several of the guys met face to face for the first time. The most telling comment came from running back commit Khalan Griffin:  “It’s like we are already a family.”

It would be hard for the mood to be anything less than positive given the rampant recruiting pace Rice is on right now. The Owls own the No. 50 recruiting class in the nation at the midpoint of June. That’s the second best class in Conference USA and puts them above some notable programs:
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  • USC (No. 53)
  • Baylor (No. 64)
  • Michigan State (No. 65)
  • SMU (No. 67)
  • UCLA (No. 75)
  • Houston (No. 87)
  • Texas Tech (No. 89)

That highly regarded class could become even better soon. Beyond forging stronger bonds with the current class, Rice made significant headway with current targets, most notably corner Ricky Johnson. The invite list was short for non-committed players. Johnson was among the top of that list.

Johnson had spoken highly of Rice since he was offered following the Adidas 3 Stripe Camp. At that point, he called Rice his top choice. The time spent with the Owls over the weekend solidified those feelings. He’s planning to take a few more visits, but Rice has cemented themselves as the unquestioned leader in his recruitment.

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