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Rice Athletics: Top 10 Moments from 2023

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2023 was filled with highs and lows for Rice Athletics. The Roost picked out 10 moments that stood out the most along the way.

10. Rice women’s basketball beats BYU in WNIT

Getting back to the postseason was something near the top of the priority list for head coach Lindsay Edmonds and Rice women’s basketball. Not only did the Owls achieve that, qualifying for the NIT, but they were able to go on the road and get a win over a very good BYU team.

9. Forbes named Top 30 NCAA Women of the Year Award

Forbes was on pace to be one of the most decorated women’s track athletes ever to run for Rice before sickness abruptly ended her collegiate career. An excellent student an ambassador for the university, seeing Forbes continue to receive honors well after her athletic career had come to an end was extraordinary and much deserved.

8. Rice football inks another historic signing class

For the fourth time in the past five years Rice football head coach Mike Blomgren signed the No. 1 recruiting class in program history. Despite only adding 13 players in this cycle, the Owls made sure their limited scholarship slots were well utilized, bringing in a Texas-centric crop of high school athletes with five impactful transfers.

7. Field Athlete of the Year, times two

One of the final Conference USA honors before Rice made the move to the AAC, the Owls claimed not one, but two Field Athlete of the Year awards. Alexander Slinkman took home the men’s honor for his prowess in the pole vault. Tara Simpson-Sullivan took care of the women’s side of things, dominating the weight and hammer throw events.

6. Rice baseball has three players drafted

Justin Long (7th Round), Hayden Durke (13th) and Matthew Linskey (16th) heard their names called in the 2023 MLB Draft. While the Owls work to return to their winning history at Reckling Park, it’s encouraging to see the pro pipeline continue to produce results.

5. Rice basketball upsets North Texas in Denton

North Texas and Grant McCasland had been the standard in Conference USA for years and Rice basketball hadn’t faired well against the Mean Green, losing 10 of the last 11 by an average of 25 points. To win, and to win by double-digits on the road, was one of the most significant victories of head coach Scott Pera’s tenure.

4. Rice Volleyball beats USC

There have been a lot of high points for Rice volleyball under head coach Genny Volpe, but few individual matches were as impressive as a win over No. 22 USC in straight sets. It was the first sweep of ranked team for Rice since 2009 and the fans in Tudor Fieldhouse had the arena rocking the whole way.

2. Rice football goes bowling once again

Although the results of the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl left much to be desired, reaching back-to-back bowl games is a feat that has only happened on two other occasions in program history. The next step will be finding a way to win and seeing if the Owls can improve their win total once again — but those are questions for 2024.

2. Tommy McClelland named Athletic Director

Following the departure of Joe Karlgaard for the private sector, Rice president Reginald Desroches named Tommy McClelland the Owls’ newest Athletic Director. McClelland has already bolstered the athletic staff and discussed potential renovation projections at Rice Stadium. Having someone with his track record to guide Rice into the AAC will be crucial for all the Owls’ programs.

1. Rice football upsets Houston, wins Bayou Bucket

For the first time since 2010, Rice football won the Bayou Bucket, defeating rival Houston in overtime. The win would eventually become crucial for the Owls’ bowl eligibility hopes and serve as the only Power 5 win by any American Conference team in the regular season. This singular victory will go down as one of the most impactful wins for Rice football in quite some time.

Honorable Mentions…

How about you? Which of these moments from Rice Athletics did you enjoy the most? Cutting this down to 10 was challenging. Which Rice Athletics events should be added to the list?

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Rice Football Recruiting: Penn State P Alex Bacchetta commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class landed a big special teams piece. Penn State punter and kicker Alex Bacchetta has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes in the special teams department where Penn State punter Alex Bacchetta has committed to the Owls.

Bacchetta was the No. 1 rated punter in the nation when he committed to Penn State out of high school. Baccetta saw in action in two games in 2022 as a true freshman and did not play in all in 2023. In search of an opportunity to contribute on the field, Bacchetta entered the portal and Rice scooped him up.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren noted during media availability on Wednesday that Bacchetta brought more to the table than just his punting ability. The Atlanta, Georgia native is also a field goal specialist and can kick off as well thanks to a very strong leg.

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Rice could use reinforcements at every specialist role after a frustrating 2022 season on that front. Bacchetta will immediately be inserted into the competition at those positions this spring and will offer special teams coordinator Pete Alamar at least one more option to improve the production of those units come next season.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Dartmouth DE Charlie Looes commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class added an impact player in the defensive trenches. Dartmouth defensive end Charlie Looes has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes along the defensive line where Dartmouth transfer Chalie Looes has committed to the Owls.

Looes was a finalist for the Ivy League’s Bushnell Cup, given annually to the league’s best defensive player following a year in which he led the Ivy League in sacks, quarterback hits and total pressures. Primarily an edge rusher, Looes is expected to come in and play that role at Rice.

In his introductory press conference about the class, head coach Mike Bloomgren made the comparison to Coleman Coco, who came in from an academic school in the Northeast and became an integral part of the Rice defense from day one.

One of five transfers in the class so far, Looes is the only defensive lineman. The Owls have a full roster at the position, but given Looes’ production and potential, taking one more impact player in the trenches seems like an absolute must.

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The length and quickness jump out immediately when you turn on the tape. Looes can get to the quarterback. As any defensive coach would be quick to tell you, accumulating pass rushers is always a good idea. Adding Looes to the fold gives this defense yet another weapon at its disposal.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Harvard OL Spencer Cassell commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class added an impact player in the offensive trenches. Harvard offensive lineman Spencer Cassell has committed to the Owls.

The Early Signing Period arrived with a bang for the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class in addition to eight high school additions, the Owls also received a boost from the Transfer Portal at multiple spots. One such boost comes along the offensive line where Harvard transfer Spencer Cassell has committed to the Owls.

Cassell was highly sought after in the portal, receiving scholarship offers from Buffalo, Arkansas State, Marshall, North Texas, App State, Georgia State, Old Dominion, UMass and others. Amidst all the interest, Rice was able to close, securing the services of the second-team All-Ivy offensive lineman. Bloomgren is optimistic Cassell will have two years to play at Rice, pending a medical redshirt.

Cassell played tackle at Harvard and said he’s willing to play “wherever I can help the team” in the offensive trenches at Rice. The plan, as of now, is for him to get started at guard in the spring and see where things go from there.

One of five transfers in the class so far, Cassell is the third offensive lineman. High school signees Lane Jeffcoast and Luke Miller made their commitments official Wednesday morning.

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A former high school tight end, Cassell does appear pretty quick on his feet for a 6-foot-6, 282-pound man. He told The Roost he loves to pull and be a lead blocker on runs and screens, something the Owls have utilized heavily in their offense in recent years. That quickness and power is evident when you turn on his film. Cassell is a great addition for the Owls.

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Small but mighty, 2024 Rice Football Recruiting Class another historic haul

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For the fourth time in the past five years, head coach Mike Bloomgren has inked the highest-rated Rice football recruiting class in program history.

The 2024 Rice football recruiting class only contained eight high school signees, but what the Owls gave up in quantity they got tenfold in quality. This small class boasts the highest rating in program history.

“We got stronger today,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said, later adding, “I think our recruiting staff crushed it.”

Internet recruiting rankings have been around since roughly 2003, making the 2024 class the 22nd in the modern rankings era. Bloomgren has now been the head coach at Rice through six of those complete cycles, excluding the 2018 cycle in which he was hired in December. He owns six of the top eight classes in program history.

In addition to Bloomgren’s six complete cycles, spanning the 2019 class to the 2023 class, only the 2010 and the 2013 classes rank in the top eight in school history. At the time, Bloomgren’s 2020 class was the best-ever Rice had signed. He then topped that haul with the best class in program history in 2022, 2023 and now once again in 2024.

Since he arrived, every recruiting class Bloomgren has signed has been a top-five class in program history at the time pen was put to paper. Four of them have been No. 1 overall.

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* Blue represents top five classes in program history

On aggregate, Rice is listed as the No. 12 class (out of 13) in the AAC. However, it’s important to remember those rankings are cumulative and they don’t include transfers, like high-profile quarterback addition EJ Warner.

Every player you sign is assigned a point value. If you sign 38 recruits (and counting) like North Texas, you’re going to have more points and rank higher than a school that signs eight. But more doesn’t always mean better.

Additionally, Rice finds itself in an interesting predicament. They haven’t had an exodus of outgoing players. The outgoing senior class that is ineligible to return is small and only one scholarship has been opened through announced departures (Jordan Dunbar). They can’t sign 25 players. There simply aren’t enough scholarships to go around.

“It’s hard to say we’re going to sign a high school kid that’s going to be better than Josh Pearcy if he decides to come back,” Bloomgren half-joked, half-explained just how the Owls have arrived in such an interesting position.

The Owls’ low ranking on aggregate reflects the reality of the Owls’ strong roster, an accumulation of top class in program history, in addition to a remarkable retention rate not seen anywhere else in college football.

“I think it’s going to be hard to evaluate it as we once did when we all signed 20 to 25 kids and [had] somewhat of a level playing field because when you look at ratings, you’re looking at some [of the full picture], We’re not going to win that when signing eight,” Bloomgren said. “If we had 12 people go into the portal like most teams then we’d have a much bigger class and a much higher rank, you would assume. I’m personally glad we don’t.”

Rather than vaulting up the recruiting charts through unprecedented amounts of roster turnover, Rice is building its roster one brick at a time. And just like the recruiting rankings have steadily ticked upward, so have the wins on the field.

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