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BREAKING: Transfer Quarterback Luke McCaffrey commits to Rice football

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Rice Football has a quarterback. Former Nebraska signal-caller Luke McCaffrey has committed to play for the Owls.

On the surface, the Rice football roster looks more or less complete. The Owls have one of the best defenses in Conference USA. They’ve got talented wide receivers, a couple of good running backs and an offensive line that’s been reasonably effective. What they’ve lacked, for multiple years now, is a surefire quarterback. Enter Luke McCaffrey.

McCaffrey’s college football career began in 2019 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He played in 11 games over two seasons in Lincoln, throwing for 608 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions. He added 540 yards and four touchdowns with his legs. He would later transfer from Nebraska to Louisville, but shortly after arriving on campus at Louisville, decided the fit wasn’t right for him.

It was at that point the Owls swooped in. Head coach Mike Bloomgren coached Luke’s older brother, Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, while the two were at Stanford. That connection, combined with McCaffrey’s interest to start and the Owls nebulous quarterback situation, made for a perfect pairing between McCaffrey and Rice.

At the time of his original recruitment, McCaffrey was the No. 1 athlete in the state of Colorado, the No. 13 athlete in the nation and a four-star rated recruit. From a pure composite score perspective, when McCaffrey takes his first snap he’ll become the most highly-rated player to ever play for Rice football. That distinction is currently held by safety Gabe Taylor, who took over the top spot last season.

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McCaffrey instantly becomes the favorite to be the quarterback for the Owls in 2021. He’ll have to get caught up on the playbook and work diligently to understand the scheme, but his talent level, particularly as a runner, has the potential to revolutionize the Rice offense. This was a big get for the Owls.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Where are 2018 decommits now?

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There were a host of decommitments in the 2018 Rice Football recruiting class. Where are those players now? Did the Owls miss out or luck out?

The 2018 Rice football recruiting class was impacted by the biggest transition Rice had seen in more than a decade. On November 27, the Owls dismissed head coach David Bailiff. The Owls lost several commits after that decision and a few in the months and weeks before.

According to 247 Sports, Rice had nine decommitments during the cycle. Where are those players now?

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 DL Chibby Nwajuaku commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has doubled in size, securing a big commitment from defensive lineman Chibby Nwajuaku.

Sometimes you know what you want. While the offer count for the 2022 Rice football recruiting class continues to be modest, the focus on building on areas of strength has remained a focal point of the Owls’ efforts. Rice has now doubled down in the trenches, picking up their second commitment, defensive lineman Chibby Nwajuaku.

Nwajuaku joins fellow defensive lineman Davion Carter as the initial members of the 2022 Rice football recruiting class. His addition represents the second commitment for Rice in as many months.

To earn Nwajuaku’s pledge Rice beat out offers from a dozen other programs including the ACC’s Wake Forest as well as fellow in-state conference foe UTSA. The Owls have recruited nationally under head coach Mike Bloomgren but they remain committed to bringing in the right pieces from the Lone Star State, too. They didn’t have to go far to land Nwajuaku, who played his high school ball at Cy Ranch.

With Nwajuaku and Carter in the fold, Rice boasts an elite tandem up front. They’ll one day be tasked with picking up the mantle of a series of high-end players that have come before them like current interior defenders Elijah Garcia and DeBraylon Carroll. Going from strength to strength is how programs sustain success, and it’s no mistake these two players were early targets in this cycle.

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Nwajuaku can line up across the defensive front, giving opposing offenses headaches all throughout high school. At 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, he’s a menacing force off the edge that can pick up steam and drive offensive lineman back with force. He also plays with incredible poise. He knows when to watch the play develop and displays impressive closing speed after he’s diagnosed where the ball is going.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 class flyover entering the summer

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class is approaching May with one commitment secured. Here’s the 10,000-foot view of the class so far.

The summer is near and the 2022 Rice football recruiting class is progressing, mostly behind the scenes. Rice has one commitment so far and only a handful of offers. Here’s a quick update on what the Owls have been up to over the last few weeks and the outlook for what their plans could be as the summer nears.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 DL Davion Carter commits to Owls

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The first commitment of the 2022 Rice football recruiting class in the books. Defensive lineman Davion Carter has committed to the Owls.

It’s been a relatively quiet spring on South Main, at least as far as the 2022 Rice football recruiting class was concerned. But even without a commitment through the end of March, the Owls were hard at work behind the scenes, having already offered several priority targets. Now one of those targets has become the first commitment.

Mesquite defensive lineman Davion Carter has committed to the Owls. His addition marks the second year in a row Rice has landed secured a commitment from their first defensive offer, following in the footsteps of linebacker DJ Arkansas.

Like Arkansas, Carter will form a strong foundation for what Rice hopes to be another highly regarded class. 247 Sports currently ranks Carter as the No. 12 highest-rated commitment in Rice history. Carter picked Rice over offers from Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Marshall and others. He’ll be the first of many to come in the 2022 class.

Rice has started to get used to having the tandem of Elijah Garcia and De’Braylon Carroll in the middle of the field. Carter looks to be the next man up in the lineage and someone that can make a difference quickly. It’s hard to win against him inside, making it fairly easy to see why the Owls were drawn to him from the start.

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Carter is a force to be reckoned with in the interior of the defensive line. He has the power to blow his man back and disrupt passing lanes. At the same time, he possesses enough quickness and vision to chase down ballcarriers while they’re still in the backfield. Getting someone of his ability in the defensive trenches is huge win for the 2022 class.

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