The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2021 signees – Offense

By

The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class features a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball, starting up front in the trenches.

Rice signed 18 players on the first day of the Early Signing Period. Of their new additions, 16 are current high school seniors. 7 of them play on the offensive side of the ball, the focal point of this update. They added one more on the last day of the three-day window. Subscribers can check out this position by position breakdown of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Quarterback (2) – Shawqi Itraish, Jake Constantine
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2021 signees – Defense

By

The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class has stocked with defensive talent at all three levels from a rangy secondary to powerful additions in the front seven.

Rice signed 18 players on the first day of the Early Signing Period. Of their new additions, 16 are current high school seniors. 11 of them play on the defensive side of the ball, the focal point of this update. Subscribers can check out this position by position breakdown of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Defensive Line (4) – Cal Varner, Jalen Hargrove, Elroyal Morris, Blake Boenisch
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: 5 Takeaways from 2021 Early Signing Period

By

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.

Subscriber content.<br /> Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.

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.

For those who aren’t subscribers yet, or even those who are, we’re running a special promo this holiday season. Purchase an annual subscription and get two months free.

1. Ratings boost

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

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

By

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

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO LB Desmyn Baker commits to Owls

By

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.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts