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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls catching fire on the recruiting tracks

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The future is bright at South Main, thanks in large part to good news already on the way on the Rice football recruiting front.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 OL Nate Bledsoe commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class added a big newcomer up front, securing a commitment from offensive lineman Nate Bledsoe.

What good is a quarterback without protection? A few weeks ago the 2023 Rice football recruiting class secured its signal-caller, picking up a commitment from Alief passer Chase Jenkins. Now they’ve got the first big body up front to keep their quarterback safe. Offensive lineman Nate Bledsoe has committed to the Owls.

Bledsoe chose Rice over more than a dozen other offers, ranging from AAC programs (Memphis, Tulane), Sun Belt schools (Appalachian State, Arkansas State) as well several Ivies and military academies.

For Bledsoe, the decision was pretty straightforward. “When you know, you know,” he said, adding that “exactly how he felt with Rice.” He praised the people and the coaching staff, noting the environment on campus was “second to none.”

Rice took two scholarship offensive lineman in their 2022 class, making Bledsoe the first of what is likely to be several more men in the trenches. The Owls hope he’ll be the next in a wave of several up-and-coming men in the trenches which currently includes players like Braedon Nutter and Ethan Onianwa, two underclassmen expected to start for the team this fall.

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Bledsoe is fairly quick on his feet for a man his size, something that jumps out quickly when you look through his highlights. His attitude backs it up. “I love to pull across the line and obliterate whatever is in front of me,” Bledsoe said, further reinforcing his commitment to play with, as he calls it, “ruthless tenacity.”

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Rice Football Recruiting: DT Quent Titre commits to Owls

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The Rice football recruiting ranks added another weapon to the Owls’ defensive line, picking up a commitment from ACU grad transfer Quent Titre.

Much of spring practice around South Main was spent lauding the impressive performance of the defensive line. The young nucleus had their way with the offensive line in many of the early scrimmage sessions. Still, no matter how strong you think you might be, adding talent is a priority in this business. That’s why the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has added another transfer along the defensive line in the form of Abilene Christian defensive tackle Quent Titre.

Titre was born in New York to parents from the Caribbean island of Dominica. He played his high school football at Ridge Point. Titre told The Roost getting closer to home played a key part in his decision, allowing his parents to come see him play more often.

Titre appeared in 33 games over the past four seasons with Abilene Christian. Last season he had four quarterback hurries, 1.5 tackles for a loss and one sack in nine games.

His addition might just give the Owls an abundance of riches along the front four. Blake Boenisch and Izeya Floyd earned special recognition for their strong spring performances and Joshua Pearcy and Kenneth Orji will be in the running among the best edge combos in the conference. And that’s before Trey Schuman and De’Braylon Carroll return to the field after missing the spring with injuries.

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Altogether, Titre’s addition could make (and probably should) make this one of the deepest, most talented fronts Rice football has fielded in quite some time. Titre says he hopes his experience will contribute to that end, saying he feels “that we can help each other grow” with so many good players in the room.

Titre’s commitment was part of a busy weekend for Rice football recruiting. Stay tuned for more to come on that front soon.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 QB Chase Jenkins commits to Owls

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The first player in the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class is a quarterback. Alief Taylor signal-caller Chase Jenkins has committed to the Owls.

On the week of National Signing Day last month, the offer list for the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class saw a major uptick in volume. Rice extended a fresh wave of new offers throughout that week, including a host of local players, including Chase Jenkins, quarterback at Alief Taylor High School. After mulling the offer for a few weeks, Jenkins has committed to the Owls and become the first member of the 2023 class.

“Being the first member is something special and I’m thankful,” Jenkins told The Roost. “I’ll definitely be active in recruiting in however I can. I love football, I’m all about team and brotherhood so I’m all in.”

Jenkins chose the Owls over other offers from Lamar and Jackson State. Following a run of transfer players at the position in previous classes, Jackson will continue the recent trend of high school passers Rice has brought into the fold in recent classes. Rice signed Reedy (TX) quarterback AJ Padgett in the 2022 class following the addition of Florida quarterback Shawqi Itraish in 2021.

For Jenkins, being a part of a family, a home away from home, played a crucial role in his decision. “Going to school and playing football can be done at different places,” he said. “Doing it where it feels like a home away from home was important to me.”

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There’s a ton to like when it comes to his on-field prowess as well. Jenkins prides himself on the “behind the scenes work”, digging into film and preparation however he can. It shows on the film. He’s accurate, polished and can make plays off schedule. His ability to get the ball where it needs to be at the right time is exciting. Jenkins can throw players open, an uncommon trait for high school passers.

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Rice Football and the Transfer Portal: Are the Owls better off?

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Rice football has to deal with the Transfer Portal, just like every other program. Are the Owls better off or has the portal left at a deficit?

Every December the football season winds down and the Transfer Portal takes center stage. Rice football isn’t immune to players opting to leave the program for one reason or another. But is Rice winning in the transfer market or are they losing? How is this new adaptation specifically impacting the Owls? In short: the Transfer Portal has been a huge benefit to Rice football, and it’s not particularly close.

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I last did this study in 2019, evaluating players that came and went that season. The results were overwhelmingly positive. This look back will focus on players who came and went via the Portal for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

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