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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 23 – Rice Football 2020 National Signing Day

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National Signing Day has come and hone and the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is mostly complete. Carter and Matthew break down the newest signees.

The majority of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class was signed during the Early Signing Period. We broke down how they fit with the current roster in our prior podcast (Ep. 22). Since then, Rice has added four new names to the fold and several other odds and ends off the field have come to light. There truly is no offseason. Stay tuned to the 2020 class and other important happenings below.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 23.

Episode 23 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thank you to all who filled out our postseason survey. Your feedback is extremely valuable and will help us improve both the podcast and the site.
  • National Signing Day — Rice football added four players on National Signing Day: kicker Collin Riccitelli, linebacker Jaren Banks, corner Lamont Narcisse and safety Gabe Taylor. We break down how they fit with the Owls and what to expect from each of them in 2020 and beyond.
  • Rankings Talk —  The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the highest-rated class in program history. What does that really mean and will it matter for the Owls when it’s time to take the field in the fall?
  • Spring Practices Near — Spring practices begin at the end of February with the Rice football spring game slated for Friday, April 3. A few storylines to follow during camp. More than anything, it’s encouraging that the Owls will have a full roster to work with this spring.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 National Signing Day Recap

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The 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class included two National Signing Day splashes. Here’s where the Owls stand with the class mostly complete.

Rice added four newly committed players on National Signing Day. JUCO linebacker Jaren Banks and Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli, both of whom committed earlier in the week, made their decisions official as did two newcomers in the secondary.

Early Wednesday morning, Rice signed Gulliver Prep defensive back Gabe Taylor, the highest-rated player in program history. Later in the day, they added corner Lamont Narcisse, another Top 10 player the school has ever signed.

Several walk ons who have yet to be officially announced will be added to the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class as well. Many won’t be expected to be significant onfield contributors anytime soon, but it’s worth remembering that center Issac Klarkowski and corner Tre’shon Devones each walked on last season and started multiple games for the Owls.

The New Signees

Taylor and Narcisse give Rice a rather impressive haul in the secondary. That pair, along with previously signed Sean Fresch, Jordan Dunbar and Plae Wyatt, should serve as much-needed reinforcements on the back end of the defense.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 defensive signees (UPDATED)

The Owls did a much better job of keeping balls in front of them in 2019, but still ranked 13th in C-USA in passing defense, allowing 241.9 yards per game. A sturdy safety corps manned by George Nyakwol, Naeem Smith and Prudy Calderon provides a strong base. Finding corners who can win on their own seems to be the missing ingredient. Hopefully one or both of Taylor and Narcisse can rise to the occasion.

Star-studded

247 Sports is the most unanimously accepted measuring stick among recruiting services. A star rating from their service isn’t infallible, but it’s a great guide on a macro level. By that standard, the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the highest-rated in program history. Better still, four of the top 13 commits to ever sign with the program will be on campus this fall.

No. 1. DB Gabe Taylor
No. 6 ATH Jake Bailey
No. 7 CB Lamont Narcisse
No. 12 ATH Sean Fresch

Taylor, Narcisse and Fresch weren’t outliers, rather they were part of a larger group of extremely talented players.

Room to Improve

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the No. 9 class in Conference USA. That’s a step up from the No. 11 class in 2019 and from No. 12 in 2018, but not the gigantic leap many were expecting. When the Early Signing Period was approaching in December, Rice had a top-two class and we were talking about the makings of what could become the best class in school history.

The decline in rankings is linked more to the number of signees than anything else. The Owls have signed 21 scholarship players so far. On Wednesday, Bloomgren detailed they would not fill the full 25. The recruiting services weight the quality as well as the quantity of players in signing classes.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 offense and special teams signees (UPDATED)

Of the C-USA programs with 20 or fewer high school and JUCO signees like Rice, the Owls’ rank third. If Rice were to sign 25 players eligible for the 247 ratings, they would assuredly finish within the Top 5, at worst. But gaming the rankings aren’t of interest to the Rice coaching staff, nor should they be. They have bigger fish to fry.

So what’s next?

What Rice lacks in this class was a singular top-end super-star to put them over the top. It would be nice to see Rice land a Power 5 transfer with top-end talent and a track record of success at the Division 1 level. The Owls are looking at some skill position players on offense right now and are optimistic they’ll be able to sign one before summer workouts get underway. That would put a bow on a great 2020 recruiting cycle.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Corner Lamont Narcisse commits to Owls

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Corner Lamont Narcisse has committed to the Owls. He’ll be one of the highest-rated members of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had some room to bolster the secondary on National Signing Day. Corner was a spot the Owls had been looking to reinforce. They ended the cycle with a bang, earning a commitment from 3-star cover man Lamont Narcisse from Calabasas, CA hours after signing 3-star defensive back Gabe Taylor.

The Owls weren’t alone in their desire to pick up an impact corner or two down the stretch. Washington State was neck and neck with Rice to earn Narcisse’s pledge. He visited the Cougars on January 24 and Rice on January 31. After evaluating his options, Narcisse opted to leave the Pac-12 footprint and head south.

Narcisse is the second-highest-rated prospect in the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. He’s the third-highest-rated commitment of the Mike Bloomgren era, rating just below 2019 wide receiver Jake Bailey. Along with Taylor, Narcisse and Bailey were among the top 10 highest-rated players to commit to Rice in the 247 Sports era. In Narcisse’s case, that makes two consecutive years that Rice has pulled an elite player out of California, beating out a Power 5 team in the process.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

Rankings don’t mean much in a vacuum, but Narcisse has the play to back up his standing. He’s 5-foot-11 and 175-pounds and can run like the wind. He has legitimate track speed. Narcisse will have the speed to line up against most everyone in Conference USA.

Narcisse joins Taylor and previously committed Jordan Dunbar and freaky fast Sean Fresch to form a stellar collection of corners in the 2020 class. The Owls’ could not be happier with their haul in the secondary, especially with Plae Wyatt manning the top at safety.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: DB Gabe Taylor commits to Owls

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National Signing Day started fast. The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class officially includes defensive back Gabe Taylor, the highest-rated signee in program history.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class started off National Signing Day with a bang. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Gulliver Prep cornerback Gabe Taylor signed with the Owls. A three-star prospect, Taylor brings with him the distinction of becoming the highest-rated recruit in Rice football program history.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren made a statement in 2019 when he landed St. John Bosco wideout Jake Bailey. The star member of that group, Bailey was the sixth-highest rated player to sign with the Owls. Now Bloomgren and the Rice recruiting staff have raised the bar.

More than just a high ranking recruit, Taylor carries with him a well-known bloodline. Gabe is the younger brother of former Miami star safety Sean Taylor. He’s seen what excellence looks like in person and now he’s ready to ply that craft on his own.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

The younger Taylor joins a Rice secondary in the midst of a dramatic improvement. Backed up by a host of ball-hawking safeties, the Owls were looking for defenders capable of winning one-on-one battles on the outside.

Taylor can cover. That’s was the expectation of any defensive back Rice was going to sign in this class. More than that, he has impeccable awareness and vision on the field. There’s a reason his senior season highlights show interception after interception after interception (there were 10, six of which he returned for touchdowns). Rice had six picks in 12 games last season.

He’s a game-changer, and someone the Owls will rely on to make plays on the next level. Although you’ll see a lot of safety on his film, Taylor likely profiles as a corner when he makes the jump to college ball, but he could stick at safety as well.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 National Signing Day Live Blog

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The 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class will add to their already impressive class on National Signing Day. Stay here for live updates as they happen.

We’ll have all the latest news and notes from National Signing Day updated throughout the day. The 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class had 17 players signed prior to today and should up that total significantly.

Stay tuned for news on the four commits as well as any potential new additions making announcements on Wednesday. There will be some fireworks you don’t want to miss.

Closing thoughts on the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class

Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 National Signing Day Recap

10:30 p.m.

The class is (mostly) done and I’ve got a lot of notes to work through on the full class. Here’s some quick thoughts from coach Bloomgren.

I’ve also updated the class breakdowns. Read more about the defensive signees here:

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2020 signees – Defense

And more on the offensive signees here:

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2020 signees – Offense and Special Teams

11:45 a.m.

That’s a wrap… sort of

Rice should address the class as a whole later this afternoon. At this point, I don’t have any concerns about any previously announced players getting in. Gotta make the graphic at some point. Overall, this is a very good haul. I’ll have more notes on the class as a whole later on.

10:40 a.m.

Looks like we should update the all-time recruiting ranks. In the past two classes, Bloomgren’s staff has signed four of the top 13 players in program history

  1. DB Gabe Taylor (2020, .8599)
  2. RB Shane Turner (2008, .8590)
  3. CB Jeremy Eddington (2010, .8590)
  4. CB Fred Jackson (2010, .8556)
  5. DT Zach Abercrumbia (2015, .8534)
  6. Saf Gabe Baker (2010, .8528)
  7. ATH Jake Bailey (2019, .8516)
  8. K Chris Boswell (2009, .8510)
  9. CB Lamont Narcisse (2020, .8499)
  10. RB Samuel Stewart (2014, .8484)
  11. Saf Jaylon Finner (2011, .8466)
  12. LB DJ Green (2013, .8459)
  13. CB Sean Fresch (2020, .8449)

10:11 a.m.

The Stanford pipeline continues to flow. Transfer kicker Collin Riccitelli is in.

Rice Football Recruiting: Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli transfers to Owls

9:20 a.m.

JUCO linebacker Jaren Banks, who committed earlier this week, has turned in his paperwork. He’s officially an Owl.

Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Owls to add JUCO LB Jaren Banks

9:16 a.m.

Had to wait until the West coast woke up for our next wave of signees. The new name here is Calabasas corner Lamont Narcisse. He signs with Rice after a hard fight from Washington State. He is also a Top-10 rated player in the Owls’ 247 Sports history.

Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Corner Lamont Narcisse commits to Owls

6:40 a.m.

While we wait for the next one in, here’s a snapshot of the top commits the Owls have signed with their class and 247 Sports rating. Three of the top 12 will be on campus this upcoming season.

  1. DB Gabe Taylor (2020, .8599)
  2. RB Shane Turner (2008, .8590)
  3. CB Jeremy Eddington (2010, .8590)
  4. CB Fred Jackson (2010, .8556)
  5. DT Zach Abercrumbia (2015, .8534)
  6. Saf Gabe Baker (2010, .8528)
  7. ATH Jake Bailey (2019, .8516)
  8. K Chris Boswell (2009, .8510)
  9. RB Samuel Stewart (2014, .8484)
  10. Saf Jaylon Finner (2011, .8466)
  11. LB DJ Green (2013, .8459)
  12. CB Sean Fresch (2020, .8449)

6:19 a.m.

Rice football just signed the highest-rated player in program history. Welcome aboard Gabe Taylor!

Rice Football Recruiting 2020: DB Gabe Taylor commits to Owls

Wednesday — 5:59 a.m.

Players are allowed to sign at 7:00 a.m. local time, which means the East Coast is up first in just a few minutes. Stay tuned, Rice is going to start out strong.

Tuesday night

Most of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class has been nailed down prior to the start of the Early Signing Period. The most recent list is available here where you can read profiles on the most notable players. Of those committed players — which range from transfers to walk ons — here’s the list of those who did not sign in December. We’ll be keeping an eye on these names Wednesday morning.

  • LB Andrew Awe – Mansfield, TX
  • LB Jaren Banks – New Mexico Military Institute (JUCO)
  • WR Caleb Chappelle – The Woodlands, TX
  • DB Jonah Doddridge – Southlake, TX
  • LB Terreance Ellis – Pearland, TX
  • WR Michael Haack – El Paso, TX
  • FB Brian Hibbard – Baton Rouge, LA
  • OL Payton Lovell – Trophy Club, TX
  • K Collin Riccitelli – Stanford
  • OL Charlie Stone – Austin, TX
  • WR Casey Tawa – West Linn, OR

Make sure to stay tuned on Twitter and follow our live blog here during the day for updates. Get the latest list of the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting commits by clicking the tracker below.

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

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