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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 DE Cal Varner commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added one more key piece before the early signing period. Defensive end Cal Varner has committed to the Owls.

It’s been a good year on the recruiting front for the Owls. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class already ranks inside the top five in the conference and it keeps getting better and better. Now the Owls have picked up a commitment from a local pass rusher. Defensive end Cal Varner from Katy High School has committed to Rice.

Under head coach Mike Bloomgren, Rice has stretched its recruiting net from coast to coast. At the same time, they’ve remained committed to home-grown talent. Varner is the third Houston product in the class and the second commitment from Katy, following Cinco Ranh offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa.

In October, Rice became the first FBS school to offer Varner a scholarship. After Rice moved first, SFA, HBU and Army extended Varner offers. Getting out in front, as Rice often tends to do, paid dividends in this race. Varner has become the newest Owl added to the fold with the early signing period days away.

Fellow defensive line commits Jalen Hargrove (6-foot-4, 305 pounds), Elroyal Morris (6-foot-2, 270) and Blake Boenisch (6-foot-3, 300) are going to hold down the interior. Varner (6-foot-4, 225) adds some finesse and quickness off the edge. It’s a great pickup for Rice that rounds out an already hefty haul.

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Varner possesses an impressive combination of awareness and focus. He has a knack for knowing where the ball carrier is at all times and directing his path in that direction, regardless of who is attempting to block him. He has the speed and smarts to sniff out screens and finishes his plays. Rice needs playmakers on this side of the ball and Varner has the potential to develop into just that.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 CB Jojo Jean commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class continues to build on a strong secondary haul with a new commitment from corner Jojo Jean.

The early signing period is fast approaching and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class keeps picking up steam. The Owls have landed another commitment, this time from corner Jonathan “Jojo” Jean from Lakeland, FL.

Prior to receiving an offer from Rice, Jean had picked up offers from Tennessee State and Robert Morris. He committed to Robert Morris at the end of the summer but changed his plans following an offer from the Owls in late October. After thinking it through for the better part of a month, he decided he wanted to make the move and join FlightSchool21.

Jean echoed what several commitments in this class have already said, the combination of what he called “a top notch education and top notch football” was something he couldn’t pass up. When it came down to deciding whether or not Rice was the right fit for him, those two pieces were the difference makers.

He joins a secondary haul that is starting to look rather formidable. The Alabama safety tandem of Marcus Williams and Joshua Williams kicked off the secondary commitments at the end of the summer.  Corner Michael Taafe joined in early November. Now Jean rounds out the group.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Jean can do a couple of different things on the back end of the defense. That versatility undoubtedly was something that drew the Owls to him in the first place. He’s got a good eye for the ball when he’s deep at safety, but he possesses the necessary quickness and agility to cover one-on-one as well. No matter where he lines up for the Owls, he has the talent to impact the game from several spots.

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Rice Football: 2021 WR Jayden Folmar commits to Owls

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Bolstering the receiving corps was a priority for the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class. New commit Jayden Folmar will do just that.

Adding playmakers has always been a priority for Rice football on the recruiting trail. The Owls already had a few pass-catchers in the fold in their 2021 class, but they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add another. New Dothan wide receiver Jayden Folmar has committed to the Owls.

The Owls were the first non-military program to program to extend him an offer. Folmar chose the Owls over offers from Air Force and Army. He is the fourth commit in the 2021 Rice football recruiting class from the state of Alabama and the second wide receiver. He joins fellow wideout Peyton Stevenson as well as safeties Marcus Williams and Joshua Williams from the Yellowhammer State.

Once he had his offer, it didn’t take him long to pull the trigger. His commitment came less than 24 hours after he received his offer. The trend of quick decisions isn’t new. Folmar is the third member of the current class to make his decision within a week, joining offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa and safety Joshua Williams.

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Folmar hasn’t received a rating from 247 Sports as of yet, but his addition will bolster a recruiting class that already ranks inside the top 100 nationally and fourth-best in Conference USA. Rice remains on pace for another big year on the recruiting front.

Folmar has an impressive combination of vertical ability and reliable hands. the 6-foot-1 wideout can high point the football and will be a threat on the outside for the Owls for years to come. For a bigger guy, he’s pretty fleet of foot, too. He can make a move on the edge and burst downfield while maintaining the focus necessary to make catches in traffic.

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Rice Football: 2021 DL Jalen Hargrove commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class just added a big addition in the defensive trenches. Jalen Hargrove has committed to the Owls.

Even with games being postponed left and right, the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class continues to produce good news. There is roughly a month to go before the early signing period and the 2021 class is coming together nicely, including the most recent addition hailing all the way from the Northeast.

Defensive lineman Jalen Hargrove from Choate Rosemary Hall has committed to Rice football. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound athlete made the move just one day following his officially offer from Rice. The less than 24-hour turnaround puts him among the quickest triggers in the 2021 class. He certainly knew what he was looking for.

Hargrove was one of a few offers handed out by the Rice football recruiting staff in the past week. You can read more about those other offers and targets in our most recent recruiting update.

Rice was the first school to offer Hargrove, something that’s become somewhat of a common occurrence with the current recruiting staff. They’ve been quick to identify talent and act upon what they see on film, not waiting for other offers to tip them off. It’s part of what has enabled them to get in early and hold on to some extremely talented players.

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Hargrove can do a lot of different things for a big guy, but his power up the middle is one aspect that stands out the most. He just won’t be blocked. His highlights are play after play of him plowing through unwitting offensive linemen who only hoped they could slow him down. Once Hargrove gets moving, it’s hard to slow him down. He’s going to be fun to watch in the trenches at South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls launch new wave of 2021 offers

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is off to a great start, but the Owls aren’t done. Here’s a quick roundup of the most recent offers.

COVID-19 concerns with their opponents have kept Rice football off the field, but they’ve been hard at work on the recruiting trail in recent weeks. The Owls have extended four offers in the past three days, and six since mid-October.

Most notably, Rice has ventured onto the transfer market. For the first time during this cycle, Rice has extended offers to transfer players. Here are the new names that have been added to the offer list in the last week and a bit more about each target.

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