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Rice Football Recruiting: What’s significant about September 1?

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September 1 marks the beginning of the recruiting cycle for the 2022 Rice Football Recruiting class, who are currently high school juniors.

Earlier this year the sports world ground to a standstill. There were no games played of any sort for months. Calendars were thrown into chaos and fans waited anxiously for the competition to return. Meanwhile, the recruiting world continued ahead at nearly full speed.

Limitations were put in place to safeguard in the new COVID-19 impacted reality, but college football staffs across the country kept busy regardless of what games were or weren’t played. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is proof of those efforts.

The Owls enter September with The No. 4 class in Conference USA. They have 11 commits, all but one of which has been given a 3-star rating by 247 Sports. Seven of those 11 made their pledges to Rice after April 1 when all interactions became virtual via zoom and phone calls rather than any sort of in-person visits.

If you follow Rice Football Director of Recruiting Alex Brown on Twitter, you might have noticed something else on the horizon on the recruiting front this week:

September 1 marks the first permissible contact date for college recruiting staffs with current high school juniors. That means the 2022 recruiting season has officially begun.

Rice has proven adept at identifying talent under the oversight of Alex Brown and his staff. Hired in the spring of 2019, Brown’s first class (2020) was the highest-rated class in program history. The 2021 class is currently on pace to finish near those levels, or possibly exceed them. 2022 should be another bright year on the recruiting trail for the Owls.

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Rice Football: 2021 Safety Marcus Williams commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added another piece to their future secondary, picking up a commitment from safety Marcus Williams.

Two weeks after adding their first safety commit, the 2021 Rice Football recruiting classed doubled their depth at the position. Joshua Williams committed on the last day of July. The newest addition is Hoover, Alabama safety Marcus Williams (unrelated).

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Williams picked Rice over several in-state schools like South Alabama and Troy and more than a dozen other offers. The Owls beat out Kansas and fellow Conference USA schools like Middle Tennessee and Charlotte for his services. He also held offers from Arkansas State, Harvard and Navy.

The addition of Williams will help solidify a 2021 defense that already includes seven commitments. Rice now has a pair of commitments on the defensive line, two at safety and three at linebacker. The offense has four commitments. The class as a whole ranks fourth in Conference USA and 92nd nationally.

If current trends hold, this class is on track to challenge the 2020 class as the highest rated in program history. Neither Marcus or Joshua Williams has been rated by 247 Sports at this time.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Tracker

Williams can do a lot of different things on the field and was dominant from the outside linebacker position. His athleticism combined with his comfortability in space makes him an ideal candidate for the Viper safety spot in the Rice defense.

A quick look at his highlights below will give you a flavor for how many things the Owls will be able to do with Williams when he suits up in Blue and Gray. He can attack the ballcarrier and position himself for the big play in coverage. His surehandedness in the open field is something no collegiate defense should take for granted.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New 2021 offers and mid-August update

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Three new offers for the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class went out this week. Who are they and where do the Owls stand?

We’re roughly four months away from the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is coming along nicely. The Owls picked up their 10th commitment on the final day of July, securing the pledge of safety Joshua Williams.

At that time Rice had offered 56 players. 10 were committed to Rice and 25 were committed elsewhere. Of the 18 uncommitted offers, the Owls are still in the mix in roughly half of those recruitments. It made sense that we’d see a few additional offers come out in August. Rice handed out three in the first week of the new month.

FB Cade Anders – Tifton, GA

Fullbacks don’t grow on trees, so Rice has to be particularly judicious when selecting the right players for such an important position in their offense. Incoming freshman Brian Hibbard is the first freshmen the current staff recruited specifically to play fullback. Anders is the second, and Rice is interested enough to throw their hat in the ring of a committed recruit.

Anders committed to Army on July 31st, the same day Rice added Joshua Williams to the fold. He also holds offers from Charlotte, Georgia Southern, South Alabama and others.

He characterized his commitment to Army as “strong”, stemming primarily from the opportunities the academy presented after football rather than the desire for military service itself. Rice doesn’t offer many committed players. The Owls’ interest, and Anders’ willingness to listen to their overtures, are each significant.

WR MJ Singleton – Lubbock, TX

Getting faster has been a priority for Rice in each of their most recent recruiting classes. We should be able to see the fruits of those efforts the next time the Owls take the field. In the meantime, Rice wants to keep adding to the fold. Lubbock, TX wideout MJ Singleton matches the profile.

Singleton is a track guy that can take the top off the defense. He’s a sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m dash. On the football field, the speed makes him a versatile offensive weapon. Cole Kirkpatrick is the other wideout to watch on the Owls’ board right now.

OL Graham Keating – Murfreesboro, TN

Rice has two offensive linemen committed in the 2021 class so far: Ethan Onianwa and Faaeanuu Pepe. They’ll be looking to add at least one more in this cycle, preferably someone who can bolster their depth on the interior.  Graham Keating could be that answer.

He can play tackle, but Rice likes his versatility and believes he’d be a great fit at guard as well. They’re recruiting him out of Murfreesboro, TN, home of Conference USA peer Middle Tennessee. Stealing him away from a conference opponent would be an added boost.

Where #FlightSchool21 stands

247 Sports has the 2021 Rice Football class ranked fourth in Conference USA. Nine of their 10 commits have three star ratings. Joshua Williams has not yet been rated.

Bloomgren’s staff has a pretty strong track record of identifying talent before they get ratings. If Williams does get bumped up to a three star, the Owls will be neck and neck with North Texas for that No. 3 spot. The Mean Green have 11 commits to the Owls’ 10. UTSA is second with 16 commits. FAU leads the way with 27.

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Rice Football: 2021 Safety Joshua Williams commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added their first defensive back pledge. Safety Joshua Williams has committed to the Owls.

As has previously been the case under Mike Bloomgren, Rice has been choosy with their offers in this cycle. The 50th offer of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class wasn’t issued until late June. Rice handed out a half dozen offers at that time, including one to Linden, AL safety Joshua Williams. Roughly one month later, Williams has committed to the Owls.

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Shortly after receiving his offer, Williams released a Top 5 featuring Rice, as well as Army, Navy, Georgia Southern and Yale. He also had offers from in-state programs like South Alabama and Troy as well as C-USA peer Western Kentucky, but education was something he said was important from the beginning. Ultimately, he felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger prior to the arrival of an uncertain fall.

Williams is the first Rice commit since quarterback Shawqi Itraish committed in mid-June. He brings the 2021 Rice football recruiting class headcount up to 10 commits, tied for the third-most in Conference USA. The Owls remain in the Top 5 of the conference ranks as the calendar approaches August.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Tracker

Versatility and flexibility are key descriptors in Brian Smith’s defense. Williams will probably start out at safety, but he’s adaptable and athletic enough to do a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball.

Williams can line up at corner and cover one-on-one as well as patrol the middle of the field. Moving around is something he’s always felt comfortable with, citing his versatility as a defining feature of his game.

He says he’s “a competitor who loves winning and hates losing” and that he’s “always willing to put in the necessary work to help improve my game.” The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Williams is going to be a valuable asset for the Owls.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Late July 2021 recruiting updates

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is sticking near the top of the Conference USA ranks. Here’s the latest of a few of the Owls targets.

I touched base with several members of the 2021 class who currently hold Rice Football offers. Featured below are updates from safety Joshua Williams, defensive end Tommy Dunn Jr. and center Ezra Oyetade.

Saf Joshua Williams

Rice offered Linden, AL safety Joshua Williams on June 24. Less than three weeks later he released his Top 5 which featured Rice, as well as Army, Navy, Yale and Georgia State. He said academics are a big piece of his decision-making process. He also holds offers from in-state schools like Troy and South Alabama.

With everything being virtual these days, Williams says he’s been thinking harder than ever about each of his opportunities. At this point, he says he understands what each of his top schools is like on paper, all that’s left is to find the right connection that offers from “that family feel.”

Ideally, he’s still hoping to make a decision before the fall. The ever-changing timetable regarding high school sports could impact that timetable, but if Williams finds the right fit, I’d expect him to make the call.

DE Tommy Dunn Jr

Tommy Dunn was among the last waves of recruits to make it to Rice in person for an official visit before things shut down. That was his only official visit so far and it left a strong impression. The Garland, TX native loved Houston and praised the atmosphere and the environment on campus.

He went so far as to give a nod to the photo and graphics team for making him feel at home with some of the personalized graphics and images. Rice pulls out all the stops to make their targets comfortable, and the Owls definitely did that with Dunn. He’s stayed in touch with a few schools during the last few months including virtual tours with UTSA and Navy.

C Ezra Oyetade

The battle for Ezra Oyetade, who 247 Sports has dubbed the nation’s No. 1 center, has been fierce from the beginning. Rice was the very first D1 school to offer Oyetade and it’s given them a spot in the race. He says he stays in touch with the staff and has liked what he’s seen from Rice so far. Although official visits have been squashed by the recruiting restrictions he’s checking in on a variety of schools.

Since Rice offered in January, Oyetade has picked up offers from Vanderbilt, Houston, UCF, Arizona State, Missouri, Memphis and others. Being first and being local are points in the Owls favor as they continue to keep themselves in the mix.

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