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Aston Walter granted additional year of eligibility by NCAA

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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

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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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Owls key in on remaining targets for 2019 class

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class is almost in the books. Here are a few names to keep an eye on as National Signing Day approaches.

The Owls signed 17 players in the early signing period. Since then they’ve picked up commitments from three players — Atascocita linebacker Myron Morrison, Duncanville defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll,  Harvard grad transfer Tom Stewart. That brings the 2019 Rice football recruiting class up to 20 players. Rice has 26 spots this year, which leaves six spots to fill.

A quick note on eligibility

As the Owls hone in on their final few names there are a few players who Rice would love to take who won’t be academically eligible. Out of respect to the individuals, I won’t be sharing any names, but keep that in mind when culling through the potential pool of candidates.

There are high academic standards at Rice. That will always be a part of the calculus when it comes to building the Owls’ yearly recruiting classes. Football is an important part of the equation, but every athlete has to have the grades too.

Grad transfers

As previously noted, Center Brian Chaffin and fullback Reagan Williams remain near the top of the priority list for Mike Bloomgren and his staff. Defensive lineman Mike Hinton from Columbia and offensive lineman Justin Gooseberry from Ouachita Baptist are two more players to watch. Both players will on campus this weekend, the final official visit weekend for Rice in the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Hinton was a team captain at Columbia last season. He started every game at defensive tackle where he racked up 3.5 sacks and 29 tackles. Hinton has experienced at defensive end, playing on the edge in both seasons prior to 2018.

Gooseberry was named a DII All-American and anchored an Ouachita Baptist line which allowed just 15 sacks all season, a mark which would rank in the top 11 nationally among FBS teams. For reference, Rice quarterbacks were sacked 24 times last season.

High school targets

Jovoni Johnson remains the clear-cut target at quarterback in this cycle. Stewart has only one season remaining, making replenishing the pipeline behind Wiley Green and Evan Marshman a focal point of this class.

If Rice can secure Johnson’s commitment and sign a few of those grad transfer targets they’ll be running out of space in the 2019 class. For example, Johnson plus three more grad transfers would put the class at 24 players, leaving room for two more high school players. The math is fairly simple, what’s less clear is who is going to get the last few spot(s).

Corner Kenyon Reed and wide receiver Ardell Brown are two interesting names to keep an eye on. Reed also offers from Iowa State and Kansas State but has built in a strong relationship with the Rice coaching staff. Brown’s offer list might be less decorated, but his speed would be a great addition to the offense.

Don’t Miss: Full list of Rice football 2019 signees and commits

At this point it’s not looking likely any of the former Houston signees will be a part of this class, but if there are one or two guys the Owls could make a late run at it would be corner Isaiah Essissima and receiver Ife Adeyi. Both have publically announced they were leaving UH. A few other names might be in the mix, but those would two of the most probable candidates.

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Quarterback Tom Stewart commits to Owls

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For the second year in a row, Rice football adds a notable grad transfer quarterback, securing a commitment from Harvard passer Tom Stewart.

Having an experienced voice in the quarterback room was a priority during the 2019 recruiting cycle. Shawn Stankavage transferred from Vanderbilt last year, and in addition to serving as a mentor to underclassmen Wiley Green and Evan Marshman, he started the majority of the Owls’ games.

Rice went a bit farther north this year, earning the commitment of Harvard transfer Tom Stewart. He saw sparse action during his first three seasons with the Crimson before earning the starting job in 2018. Stewart threw 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He was knocked out of the game against Yale with a hip injury, but has since made a full recovery.

Stewart will battle with Marshman and Green and incoming freshman Jovoni Johnson for the starting spot in 2019. With Green and Marshman one year wiser, he’ll have his work cut out for him to win the job. For now though, he’s going to get a shot with the ever-present guidance from coach Mike Bloomgren that the players that earn playing time will be on the field this fall.

Rice hoped the addition of Stewart would lead to one more Crimson addition. Stewart’s former wide receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley would eventually opt for Vanderbilt over Rice. Landing another playmaker would have been huge, but Stewart’s importance to this class shouldn’t be understated.

Stewart fills a void in the Owls’ depth chart and the locker room. He’s a veteran among a host of freshman and sophomores. His experience plus his ability make him a meaningful addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class.

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MBB: Late rally falls short vs UAB

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Rice basketball narrowly missed a homecourt victory as they watched their final shot bounce out, thwarting the Owls upset attempt at UAB.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game Rice trailed the visiting UAB Blazers by 13 points. The Owls’ had put together a decent night from the field at that point but turnovers had cost the Owls way too many possessions. Rather than cave, they pressed in.

The resiliency of this team has been tested in recent weeks. They rallied to cut the deficit to one-point, staying within reach for the remainder of the game, right up until an Ako Adams three-point attempt fell short at the buzzer. His shot would have forced overtime, instead, Rice ended up three-points shy on the scoreboard, losing 89-86 to a surging UAB squad who has quietly won four games in a row.

Box

Player PTS FG 3FG FT OR DR REB A PF TO BL ST MIN +/-
ADAMS 12 4-7 4-7 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 3 0 0 21 5
PETERSON 3 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 17 5
MULLINS 16 6-11 0-2 4-7 1 4 5 4 3 1 0 0 32 0
WILLIAMS 5 2-10 0-4 1-4 3 5 8 0 2 2 1 0 28 5
MILLORA-BROWN 11 5-7 0-0 1-2 3 5 8 2 2 2 3 0 31 -13
MOORE 0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 11 -8
PARRISH 5 1-2 0-1 3-4 1 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 16 -10
MURPHY III 24 5-8 5-7 9-9 0 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 24 1
MARTIN 10 3-4 2-3 2-2 1 1 2 1 3 3 0 0 20 2

Player of the game – Trey Murphy

Trey Murphy scored 18 points in each of his most recent outings, a career high at the time. On Saturday against UAB he one-upped himself, tallying 24 points with a personal best five made three-point shots. It wasn’t just the distant shooting which paved the way for another big night from Murphy, he also went a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.

Shooting 71 percent from three doesn’t happen very often, but Scott Pera himself has given Murphy free range to take as many open threes as he can. He scored 10 points in two minutes on Saturday. When he’s hot, Rice needs to get him the basketball.

Up Next

A road trip to Charlotte looms next for Rice. The 49’ers are 5-15 on the season and 2-7 in conference play. They’re coming off a four-point loss to UTSA on Saturday.

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