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Rice Football Recruiting: Early look ahead at class of 2023

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The 2023 Rice football recruiting class is still in its early stages, but there are some early clues regarding who the Owls have their eyes on thus far.

The start of September marked a significant milestone for the 2023 Rice football recruiting class. The Owls made their first pitch to a wide swath of potential targets. Who are they, and why does this early checkpoint in the length recruiting process matter?

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 WR Rawson MacNeill commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class is picking up steam heading into the fall, securing a commitment from wide receiver Rawson MacNeill.

For the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class, good things come in pairs. The Owls have reached seven commitments in their current class, but for the second time in the past few months, they’ve added a pair of players on the same week.

On Sunday, Rice grabbed a pledge from safety Reece Sylvester. Two days later they added a commitment on the offensive side of the ball from wide receiver Rawson MacNeill from Marietta, GA.

MacNeill is the second-highest rated commitment in the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class and the eighth-highest player the Owls have earned a commitment from during Mike Bloomgren’s tenure.

Rice had competition when it came to MacNeill’s services. At the time of his commitment, MacNeill picked Rice over offers from Iowa State, Charlotte, Tulane and several Ivy League schools.

Although he hails from several states away, MacNeill still felt the familial connection. His mom grew up in Texas and his uncle lives nearby. That familiarity plus the connection he made with the coaches and players, made the difference. In his words, getting to interact and build bonds with those within the program “truly made it feel like home”, giving him peace in his decision.

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MacNeill has the potential to be a difference-maker as soon as he gets to Rice. Standing 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 190 pounds, he profiles as an X receiver in the Rice offense. And even though he can win with size, he prides himself in being a player that is quick out of his breaks and can win with speed, too. Wherever he lines up, the football is going to find him.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 Safety Reece Sylvester commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class closed the summer on a high note, adding safety Reece Sylvester to the fold as the calendar marches toward the fall.

Fall camp is right around the corner, but that hasn’t slowed the Owls down on the recruiting front. The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has now added its sixth member to the fold, earning a commitment from Baytown Sterling safety Reece Sylvester.

Sylvester is the second defensive back among the Owls’ current 2022 commits and the fourth defensive player so far. The other safety in the class, Southwest Christian safety Tyson Flowers, was the most recent pledge prior to Sylvester.

Rice was the first to offer Sylvester, who had no other public offers when Rice made their push in mid-July. That was true on August 1 when Sylvester decided to pull the trigger.

Sylvester played a little on both sides of the ball in high school, but although he proved himself a capable wide receiver, he’ll primarily slide in at safety for the Owls. The proven versatility and knowledge of the game should give him a leg up in Brian Smith’s defense.

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When it comes to his prowess as a safety, Sylvester is an intriguing prospect. He reads the ball well coming out of the quarterback’s hand and closes the distance between himself and the pass catcher at a furious rate. When he gets there, he’s not afraid to deliver a punishing blow. His pursuit seems to have an extra gear and his drive has the makings of a difference maker at the next level.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Early impressions from current 2022 commits

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has five commitments as the summer winds down. We caught up with a few of them to hear about their early impressions.

The 2021 season is right around the corner and while the Owls begin their preparations on the field, they’re working hard to build the future of the program off of it. The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has five commitments to date, putting them in the middle of the pack among their Conference USA peers.

To understand how the class was progressing and get to know some of its foundational pieces, we caught up with a few of the Owls’ initial members of the class.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 WR Braylen Walker commits to Owls

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Joining quarterback AJ Padgett, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class doubled down this week with a commitment from wideout Braylen Walker.

The 2022 Rice football recruiting class had gotten off to a relatively quiet start early on. The Owls picked up one commitment in April and another in May. Then they doubled the class size in a single week, landing a pair of important targets within the span of a few hours.

2022 Sulphur, Louisiana wide receiver Braylen Walker has committed to the Owls. Walker is the fourth member of the class and the second offensive player in the fold this cycle. His commitment comes the same week as quarterback AJ Padgett. That tandem joins defensive lineman Davion Carter and Chibby Nwajuaku as the initial trio of 2022 commits. He’s the first out-of-state addition for the Owls so far, who signed eight high school seniors from outside of Texas in their 2021 class.

Rice was the first to offer Walker. Being first to pull the trigger isn’t something Rice has been afraid to do over the last several seasons, with early returns being largely positive on that strategy. Walker’s offer and quick commitment comes the same week Rice more or less finalized their 2021 class, bringing in transfer quarterback Luke McCaffrey from Nebraska.

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Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 170 pounds, Walker is frequently able to use his legs and burst to outrun defenders and get himself into open space. When he does find green grass with the ball in his hands, he’s hard to catch. Combining speed with a quick first step and acceleration makes him a problem for opposing defenses. He’ll be a potential slot candidate for the Owls when he gets to South Main.

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