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Rice Football: 2021 Safety Joshua Williams commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added their first defensive back pledge. Safety Joshua Williams has committed to the Owls.

As has previously been the case under Mike Bloomgren, Rice has been choosy with their offers in this cycle. The 50th offer of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class wasn’t issued until late June. Rice handed out a half dozen offers at that time, including one to Linden, AL safety Joshua Williams. Roughly one month later, Williams has committed to the Owls.

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Shortly after receiving his offer, Williams released a Top 5 featuring Rice, as well as Army, Navy, Georgia Southern and Yale. He also had offers from in-state programs like South Alabama and Troy as well as C-USA peer Western Kentucky, but education was something he said was important from the beginning. Ultimately, he felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger prior to the arrival of an uncertain fall.

Williams is the first Rice commit since quarterback Shawqi Itraish committed in mid-June. He brings the 2021 Rice football recruiting class headcount up to 10 commits, tied for the third-most in Conference USA. The Owls remain in the Top 5 of the conference ranks as the calendar approaches August.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Tracker

Versatility and flexibility are key descriptors in Brian Smith’s defense. Williams will probably start out at safety, but he’s adaptable and athletic enough to do a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball.

Williams can line up at corner and cover one-on-one as well as patrol the middle of the field. Moving around is something he’s always felt comfortable with, citing his versatility as a defining feature of his game.

He says he’s “a competitor who loves winning and hates losing” and that he’s “always willing to put in the necessary work to help improve my game.” The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Williams is going to be a valuable asset for the Owls.

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BREAKING: Rice Football non-conference game with LSU Tigers is canceled

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Rice Football will no longer be playing LSU this season after the SEC opted to play a conference-only schedule this coming fall to mitigate COVID-19 risks.

Non-conference games are dropping like flies. Prior to Thursday afternoon, Rice Football remained one of a shrinking list of FBS teams with 12 scheduled opponents. The Big Ten and Pac-12 had already announced conference-only schedules this summer. Two additional dominoes in the nonconference trimming fell this week.

On Wednesday the ACC adopted a 10-game conference schedule with one non-conference game. Those non-conference games have yet to be announced. For now, the verdict ostensibly puts several Conference USA teams at risk for cancelation. Rice had no ACC opponents on their schedule, but they did have an SEC foe booked.

LSU was scheduled to play Rice at NRG Stadium on September 19th. That game will not be played.

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated reported Thursday afternoon the SEC would be playing a conference-only schedule in 2020. The league would delay their start date until Sept. 26, under the expectation there would need to be some lag time between the date students return to campus and the start of the season. That would allow for some leeway should there be a spike in cases when students return.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Conference USA has not commented publically on potential scheduling considerations in recent weeks. At time of publication, no statement was issued from the league office in response to either the ACC or SEC decisions.

Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard addressed the announcement directly in a statement:

“I’m disappointed we will not be able to play LSU this season, but given the current situation, it was not unexpected. I know our fans have anticipated hosting LSU for the first time in nearly 40 years since we announced it in 2016 and that excitement only grew after LSU won the national title last year.  We will work with LSU to see if there is an opportunity in a future season to reschedule the game.”

What’s next?

Also in the release from the university, Rice indicated they plan to play the rest of their schedule as currently constructed: “Rice is currently scheduled to open the 2020 season on September 3 at the University of Houston and open the home schedule the following week when they welcome Army to Rice Stadium.”

Karlgaard confirmed as much in a follow up conversation with media on Thursday afternoon. He said the Owls are “still planning to play those games scheduled.” He also indicated he’d had conversations with the athletic directors at Army, Houston and Lamar in the past week. As of now, those games are still on.

In somewhat of an unconventional agreement, the original deal called for Rice to play LSU a guarantee. Rice planned to recoup ticket sales from the game, something that grew more and more unlikely as the date approached. As is the case with the bulk of the recently canceled games across the nation, it’s unclear how the dollars and cents will pan out in the end.

As far as a replacement game goes, Karlgaard isn’t rushing to add anyone to the schedule just yet. He indicated he would be listening to what decision-makers in the Big 12 do. There would also be a continual line of communication with Conference USA athletic directors and presidents, too. He called the notion of a traditional 12-game schedule “dubious” at this point in time.

Alternatives are being considered. When asked about the potential for a spring season, Karlgaard said the conference remains focused on playing in the fall “until its determined we can’t do that any longer.” He suggested sometime in early October as a potential cutoff point. But as is the case with the entire situation, everything remains fluid.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Late July 2021 recruiting updates

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is sticking near the top of the Conference USA ranks. Here’s the latest of a few of the Owls targets.

I touched base with several members of the 2021 class who currently hold Rice Football offers. Featured below are updates from safety Joshua Williams, defensive end Tommy Dunn Jr. and center Ezra Oyetade.

Saf Joshua Williams

Rice offered Linden, AL safety Joshua Williams on June 24. Less than three weeks later he released his Top 5 which featured Rice, as well as Army, Navy, Yale and Georgia State. He said academics are a big piece of his decision-making process. He also holds offers from in-state schools like Troy and South Alabama.

With everything being virtual these days, Williams says he’s been thinking harder than ever about each of his opportunities. At this point, he says he understands what each of his top schools is like on paper, all that’s left is to find the right connection that offers from “that family feel.”

Ideally, he’s still hoping to make a decision before the fall. The ever-changing timetable regarding high school sports could impact that timetable, but if Williams finds the right fit, I’d expect him to make the call.

DE Tommy Dunn Jr

Tommy Dunn was among the last waves of recruits to make it to Rice in person for an official visit before things shut down. That was his only official visit so far and it left a strong impression. The Garland, TX native loved Houston and praised the atmosphere and the environment on campus.

He went so far as to give a nod to the photo and graphics team for making him feel at home with some of the personalized graphics and images. Rice pulls out all the stops to make their targets comfortable, and the Owls definitely did that with Dunn. He’s stayed in touch with a few schools during the last few months including virtual tours with UTSA and Navy.

C Ezra Oyetade

The battle for Ezra Oyetade, who 247 Sports has dubbed the nation’s No. 1 center, has been fierce from the beginning. Rice was the very first D1 school to offer Oyetade and it’s given them a spot in the race. He says he stays in touch with the staff and has liked what he’s seen from Rice so far. Although official visits have been squashed by the recruiting restrictions he’s checking in on a variety of schools.

Since Rice offered in January, Oyetade has picked up offers from Vanderbilt, Houston, UCF, Arizona State, Missouri, Memphis and others. Being first and being local are points in the Owls favor as they continue to keep themselves in the mix.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 43 – Marshall Football Preview with Aaron Coleman

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The Roost Podcast welcomes Aaron Coleman who covers Marshall football with the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast to break down their upcoming season.

July is almost over and, according to the schedule, the start of the 2020 season is just around the corner. After visiting with folks that cover each team in Conference USA West, the podcast ventured to the other side of the conference this week. We’re excited to welcome Aaron Coleman who covers all things Marshall football with the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast. Aaron gives us his insight into the recent transfer of quarterback Isaiah Green and what to expect from the Herd this year.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with Aaron Coleman on Episode 43.

Episode 43 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you check out the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Rice/COVID-19 Updates — The vast majority of Rice football players have returned to campus for mandatory workouts this week. There are a few still on their way, but the Owls have the bulk of their roster back on campus and are doing their workouts in a socially-distant way.
  • Aaron Coleman joins the show — Aaron walked us through what’s turned into a relatively eventful offseason for Marshall and gave us this inside scoop on the latest happenings with the Herd including:
    • The “mild seat” and the plateau of Doc Holliday’s tenure
    • Options at QB with the departure of Isaiah Green
    • Marshall’s sneaky good defensive front seven
    • Brenden Knox’s rise from fourth string to star

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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2021 Rice Football Recruiting class Top 5 in Conference USA as end of July nears

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The 2020 Rice Football class is well-positioned entering July. The Owls have a Top-5 class in Conference USA and plenty of momentum.

The success of the most recent Rice Football recruiting classes has been a point of pride for Mike Bloomgren and his staff. They have elevated the level of talent in the program, most recently signing the highest-rated class in program history.

According to 247 Sports player rankings, the 2020 class had an average ranking of 82.25. The 2021 class has an average ranking of 82.64 and ranks third in Conference USA. If the Owls can maintain that status, they’ll break last year’s record and earn Rice a Top 5 class in the conference for the first time since 2013.

Of the two classes rated more highly than the Owls, volume plays an important key. Top-ranked Florida Atlantic has a stunning 25 commitments, highlighted by 4-star pledge Shedeur Sanders. UTSA is second with 13 commitments.

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has nine commitments, the third most in Conference USA. The class will have somewhere close to the 25 allotted slots, meaning the Owls are a little more than a third of the way complete with five months before the Early Signing Period in December.

So much can change over the course of the next few months. Rice can’t control what other schools do, but they can continue to build their own class as best they can. Their most recent addition was an important one, securing the pledge of Bradenton, Florida quarterback Shawqi Itraish. With the most important position locked down, the Owls can turn their attention to other key targets.

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