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Rice Football Recruiting: 5 Takeaways from 2021 Early Signing Period

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The first members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class signed this week, setting the stage for an exciting future at South Main.

The ink is starting to dry on the first day of the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is off to a great start. Rice signed 18 players, representing the majority of their scholarship additions to their 2021 class.

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This class isn’t done yet — there are still a few more weeks before National Signing Day in February — but as it currently stands, here are a few immediate reactions from a group that could end up being pretty special for the Owls.

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1. Ratings boost

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls move from “needs” to “wants” with 2021 class

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is stocked with talent, giving the Owls the luxury to fill some “wants” instead of scrambling for “needs”.

When Mike Bloomgren took the job, he had less than a week to get as many to assemble his first pass at a recruiting class. As a result, Rice ended its first Early Signing Period with six players in the 2018 Rice Football recruiting class. That class would fill out by the time National Signing Day arrived in February, but the chief priority in those classes was bodies first, flash second.

Rice found several impact players in that first class. Treshawn Chamberlain, Clay Servin, Antonio Montero … the list of multi-year starters goes on and on. Many of those guys are still here, still contributing vital roles to this team. Because of the strong foundations they started, the Owls were able to address other needs in their 2019 and 2020 classes.

Finally, with a fresh season ahead and pandemic (hopefully soon) behind them, Rice was able to do something with its 2021 class they hadn’t had the luxury to do in some time. Move past “needs”, to “wants”.

Rice signed five players that weigh 300 or more pounds on Wednesday. They have five players that large on their roster right now. Bloomgren referred to those new additions as “great pieces of clay” that he and his staff were willing to take the time to mold. This class wasn’t about filling urgent needs right now. It was truly focused on what Rice will look like on the field in 2022 and beyond.

More: 2020 Early Signing Period Live Tracker

“There’s no guarantees in this business that just because somebody’s strong they’re going to be better. But if everything is constant and I lift 100 pounds or 200 pounds more than you, and I have 20 pounds of good weight better than you, I should win. It’s just that simple,” Bloomgren said.

He’s not wrong.

In what will forever go down as the most pivotal game of Bloomgren’s tenure to date, Rice inserted 314-pound Izeya Floyd into the starting offensive line. The converted defender helped turn a line that caved inward the game prior into a unit that produced more than 100 rushing yards against a Marshall defense that hadn’t allowed an opponent to surpass the century mark on the ground all season.

One big body doesn’t win a football game on his own. But the more chances you can take to unearth that next key cog, the better. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has the kind of top end talent that could play a massive role for this team quickly. The additions at linebacker are impressive. The wide receivers are going to be difference makers here.

But having the luxury to do both, to meet your current needs and expand your horizons to “wants” and “hopes”, that’s the mark of a program that’s established the baseline of talent it needs to compete. The Owls want these next pieces can raise the floor, and with it, the ceiling, too

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO LB Desmyn Baker commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class keeps getting bigger, this time adding linebacker Desmyn Baker from the JUCO ranks.

The first day of the Early Signing Period is going to end with a bang as the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class continues to pick up steam. The Owls have added a transfer to their ranks. Junior college linebacker Desmyn Baker has committed to the Owls.

Over the past few months, Baker has garnered offers from Deion Sanders at Jackson State, Central Arkansas and now Rice. He moved quickly once the offer came in from the Owls, a trend exhibited from several of the most recent commitments.

Baker should cap off an impressive corps of linebackers in this class. The Owls already have commitments from Kenny Seymour, Aidan Siano and DJ Arkansas, all of which came back in March. The addition of Baker at a well-stocked position points to how highly the staff valued his abilities.

The JUCO connection is worth noting as well. Blaze Alldredge set a ridiculously high standard for junior college recruits at Rice. But the Owls have also hit on fellow JUCO players like Naeem Smith and Brad Rozner. The potential to build on a player who already has experience playing college ball is significant, and one the Owls’ will certainly be able to take advantage of with Baker.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Baker is a fun one to watch on film. He’s aggressive from the snap and his pursuit is relentless. He can truly move from sideline to sideline and covers a lot of ground along the way. He’s going to find the ball carrier, and when he does, he’s going to arrive with a wallop. Consistent tackling ability is a must-have trait to see the field for this defense and he doesn’t stop until he has the ballcarrier on the ground.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 Early Signing Period Live Blog

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The majority of the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class will become signees during the early signing period. Follow all the action here.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of all college football programs and Rice is not different. The Owls have brought in a tremendous amount of talent under Mike Bloomgren so far and this week will continue that trend. This live tracker will follow all the latest news and updates through the week, with some notes along the way on the class as it is finalized. If you’re not a subscriber yet, here’s your chance.

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Which newcomers will make sizable impacts like Khalan Griffin, Gabe Taylor and others did this year? This class has plenty of talent which could find its way to the field soon.

Now, let’s dig into the latest from the Early Signing Period, below.

Updates

3:43 p.m.

Closing thoughts: Rice adds for the present and future with talented 2021 class

Rice Football Recruiting: Owls move from “needs” to “wants” with 2021 class

12:17 p.m.

Wide receiver MJ Singleton is the only scholarship commit not to sign today. He told me earlier in the week he’d be signing in February. That appears to still be the case, but we’ll follow up on him soon. With that, Rice has announced the remainder of their 2021 class.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren will meet with the media at 1:00 p.m. today, then we’ll have some further remarks to share with everyone.

9:53 a.m.

And one from the West Coast. Offensive lineman Faaeanuu Pepe has sent in his letter of intent.

7:42 a.m.

Two more in the trenches. Offensive lineman John Long and defensive lineman Elroyal Morris have signed.

7:39 a.m.

The entire linebacking corps is now in. Kenny Seymour has signed with Rice.

7:37 a.m.

Defensive lineman Blake Boenisch makes it six signees from Texas thus far.

7:29 a.m.

Another Katy product has inked with the Owls, defensive end Cal Varner is in. Right after him, tight end Jaggar Hebeisen‘s signature comes in, as well as another Alabama product, wide receiver Jayden Folmar.

7:26 a.m.

Another from Alabama, this time its wide receiver Peyton Stevenson.

7:18 a.m.

Just picked up a wave of Texas signees: linebackers Aidan Siano and DJ Arkansas as well as offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa are all in.

7:07 a.m.

Make that two from the Yellowhammer state. Fellow safety Marcus Williams has also signed.

7:05 a.m.

The first of a sizable Alabama contingent is on board. Safety Joshua Williams has signed.

6:40 a.m.

A quick reminder, recruits can sign at 7:00 a.m. local time, so the bulk of the Texas and Alabama commits should start getting finalized in the next hour or so.

6:25 a.m.

Defensive lineman Jalen Hargrove is in. That should wrap up the early morning east coast contingent.

6:14 a.m.

That’s two, and this one is a big one. Rice has its quarterback in the boat. Shawqi Itraish has signed.

6:08 a.m.

The first signature is in! Corner  Jonathan “Jojo” Jean is officially an Owl.

5:47 a.m.

Good morning folks. We’ll be posting updates here throughout the morning as players sign as well as updated the recruiting tracker. Should be a good day.

Tuesday night

The majority of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is in the boat prior to the beginning of the Early Signing Period. In most typical years, we’d have a firmer timetable of who is putting pen to paper when, but COVID-19 has impacted some of the traditional ceremonies. Players are eligible to fax in their signatures starting at 7:00 a.m. local time.

Rice has the No. 4 class entering Wednesday morning. From a rating perspective, the Owls are on track to surpass last seasons’ average rating, the highest ever from a Rice recruiting class.

Make sure to stay tuned on Twitter and follow our live blog here during the day for updates. Get the latest list of the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting commits by clicking the tracker below.

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

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Rice Football: What to expect from the Early Signing Period

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The first members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class will sign this week. Here’s where the Owls stand entering the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.

It’s been nine months, almost to the day, that the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class truly started in earnest. On March 8, offensive lineman Faaeanuu Pepe committed to the Owls. He was the first of four commitments Rice picked up in the span of five days, and part of a thinning number of 2021 commits that actually stepped foot on South Main during this calendar year.

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For many in this class, the virtual recruiting landscape has been the norm. That speaks volumes of the work Recruiting Director Alex Brown and his staff have done, navigating a pandemic to assemble what is currently on pace to be the highest-ranked class in Rice history. That would be a nice encore to the 2020 class, which currently holds the top spot.

Subscribers will have access to a live blog on Wednesday tracking all the developments throughout the day as well as several pieces in the coming days breaking down the class. Stay tuned. This is going to be a fun week. Not a subscriber? Join now.

Where things stand right now

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