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Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 Safety Reece Sylvester commits to Owls

August 1, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

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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Filed Under: Archive, Featured, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Reece Sylvester, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Rice Football Recruiting: Early impressions from current 2022 commits

July 25, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

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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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting, Premium Tagged With: AJ Padgett, Braylen Walker, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Tyson Flowers

Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 WR Braylen Walker commits to Owls

June 24, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

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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Filed Under: Featured, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Braylen Walker, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Rice Football Recruiting: Recapping a productive weekend of June visits

June 22, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class picked up another commitment this week on the heels of a busy weekend at South Main including a flurry of offers.

After more than a full year without being permitted to host recruits on campus, June marked the return of some level of normalcy for college football. The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class, already with a couple of players in the fold, added to its numbers. At the same time, additional offers went out to prospective members of the 2023 class. Here’s a rundown of the weekend with a few notes on who to keep tabs on and what might be next.

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Filed Under: Football, Football Recruiting, Premium Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Rice Football Recruiting: 2022 QB AJ Padgett commits to Owls

June 21, 2021 By Matthew Bartlett

With visit restrictions lifted, the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class didn’t waste any time adding to the fold. 2022 Quarterback AJ Padgett has committed to the Owls.

A quiet summer on the recruiting front started to heat up over the weekend. The limitations placed on staff and players by the NCAA were loosened this month and in-person visits were permitted to resume. It wasn’t long after that the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class picked up another new commitment at a very prominent position.

2022 Reedy quarterback AJ Padgett has committed to the Owls. Padgett is the third member of the class and the first offensive player in the fold this cycle. He joins defensive lineman Davion Carter and Chibby Nwajuaku as the initial trio of 2022 commits. He was one of several quarterbacks Rice brought in over the weekend to work out. It didn’t take him long to pull the trigger once he’d officially been offered.

Padgett chose Rice over offers from Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word.  His offer and quick commitment comes the same week Rice more or less finalized their 2021 class, bringing in transfer quarterback Luke McCaffrey from Nebraska. The quarterback room will be crowded, but the level of talent is continuing to rise.

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Padgett flashes a strong arm in his tape with an impressive level of accuracy. He’s also far from a statue, showcasing an ability to move within the pocket, roll out and still make his throws. Rice has shown they can take advantage of a quarterback who can make an impact with his legs. Padgett will bring some of that to the table.

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: AJ Padgett, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

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