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Defensive back Kirk Lockhart commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class continues to pick up steam, this time with the commitment of Cedar Hill defensive back Kirk Lockhart.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

As the early signing period approaches the only thing better than one commitment is two. Safety Hunter Henry made his pledge Sunday. The Owls got another commit on Monday. Rice doesn’t intend to fill every spot in their 2019 recruiting class by mid-December, but getting some key pieces in early will go a long way toward building momentum for the stretch run into National Signing Day.

The latest addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class was Cedar Hill safety Kirk Lockhart from Cedar Hill High School. His teammate, defensive back Josh Landrum is also on the Owls radar.

Rice had 10 members in their 2019 class before Lockhart made his commitment. That number now sits at 11 meaning the Owls are likely about halfway through a haul that could be rather sizable for head coach Mike Bloomgren’s first complete class after taking over the job last winter.

Lockhart had offers from East Texas Baptist and Carroll College. His offer list isn’t very long, a fact that is somewhat surprising giving the intensity and aggression he plays with on the defensive side of the ball. He flies to the ball quickly and makes tackles — something that Owls’ fans have learned not to take for granted this season.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound safety plays like he was shot out of a cannon. He knows where the ball is at all times and puts himself in position to make a play, whether that’s in the air or taking a player to the ground himself.

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Safety Hunter Henry commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class just picked up an important addition. Safety Hunter Henry has committed to the Owls.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

It seemed like only a matter of time before Lake Travis safety Hunter Henry made it official and committed to Rice. He was on campus this summer and loved the experience. He was back for the Owls’ game against UTEP and although the result wasn’t what he’d hoped for, he saw an opportunity to contribute.

247 Sports tabbed Henry as a 3-star recruit and the No. 269 player in the state of Texas. At the time he committed to Rice he had offers to play for Texas State, Princeton, Liberty and Houston Baptist. Rice has long been considered a leader in his recruitment and now he’s pulled the trigger and decided to be an Owl.

Henry is a hard-hitting safety that plays with physicality from all areas of the field. He’s already bought into the Intellectual Brutality culture and loves what this coaching staff is building at South Main. It finally got to the point where he couldn’t wait any longer, making the decision midweek following the UTEP game to tell the staff he was all in.

The Owls’ secondary doesn’t have a ton of depth, making the commitment of Henry a huge get for the 2019 class. More should follow. Expect this coaching staff to add to the back end of the defense with a few more key recruits before the class is finished.

Henry checks in at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds — plenty of power that comes in from center field in a hurry. It doesn’t take much more than a cursory look over his film to understand what the staff loves about Henry as a prospect. He’ll be hitting ballcarriers wearing the blue and grey soon enough.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Visitors for Homecoming vs UTEP

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Rice football recruiting will host some key recruits on campus for the Owls Homecoming game against UTEP. Here are a few of the priority visitors.

Roughly 30 different high school students will be on hand this Saturday at Rice Stadium to watch the Owls take on UTEP on Homecoming. Within the large group are a handful of key targets for the Owls 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes.

Ron Carr — Offensive tackle (2019)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

The Solon, Ohio native is a Yale commit but will fly south to Texas to visit the Owls. Carr has 15 offers to date including a handful of Power 5 schools: Arizona State, Boston College, Duke, Pitt and Vanderbilt: Carr is 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and packs plenty of power. He would be a perfect piece to help Rice invoke Intellectual Brutality starting in the trenches.

Will Prendergast — Defensive end (2020)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

Rice football hasn’t started extending offers to any0ne in the 2020 class yet but Prosper, Texas product Will Prendergast could find himself near the front of the list soon enough. He’s explosive and could provide a boost to the Owls pass rush as soon as he gets on campus.

Tyler Hudson — Wide receiver (2019)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

Tyler Hudson plays his high school ball just up the road at Klein Oak High school where he’s been a key cog in the Panthers’ offense. Rice football needs a player of his caliber that can take the top off the defense and provide a presence at the second level of the defense. Landing Hudson would be a huge boon to this passing attack.

Josh Landrum — Cornerback (2019)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

Expect Rice to take a look at several guys in the secondary in the 2019 class. Adding size and power to the back end is a must and Josh Landram brings both of those aspects to the table. The 6-foot, 165-pound defender from Cedar Hill, Tx has offers from Air Force, Delta State and Georgetown. Rice would prefer to lock him down before the list grows any further.

Kirk Lockhart — Defensive back (2019)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

Another defensive back high on the Owls’ radar is Cedar Hill, Texas native Kirk Lockhart. He’s a true ballhawk in the secondary with the ability to play center field and stay with receivers down the field. Wherever he lined up for Rice he’d be a safety net for the secondary. At the moment he has offers from East Texas Baptist and Carroll College.

Hunter Henry — Safety (2019)

Hudl highlights | 247 recruiting profile

It’s no mistake there are this many defenders are near the top of the Owls’ list. Hunter Henry has already spoken extremely highly of Rice and says the “Intellectual Brutality culture fits [him] well.” His physicality and toughness would be a welcome presence at the back end of the secondary. Rice will have to pluck him out of Austin to secure his services.

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2019 offensive lineman Nick Wagman commits to Owls

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Offensive line will be a priority in the 2019 Rice football recruiting class which now includes preferred walk-on Nick Wagman.

As a former offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Stanford, Mike Bloomgren understands life in the trenches. Part of that wisdom will require the addition of some new players up front, something that has already been made clear in the Owls’ 2019 recruiting class.

It wasn’t a coincidence Bloomgren’s first commitment of the 2019 class came from an offensive lineman. Dallas, TX guard Regan Riddle pledge his commitment to Rice this summer. The Owls have since added to their offensive line haul with the addition of Potomac, MD offensive lineman Nick Wagman. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder will most likely play along the interior of the line at South Main.

Wagman will walk on at Rice, just like his brother Jack did this year at Maryland. He won’t count toward the Owls’ football scholarship limit, something that will enable the program to take in as many players as possible in this group. This team needs an injection of talent; the more they can get the better.

Walk-on or not, Wagman is ready to contribute as quickly as he can. He had the opportunity to visit campus during the Owls’ junior day this spring and walked away extremely impressed. “You could tell as soon as you walked into the building that there was something special happening,” he said.

A refreshing endorsement from someone outside the program looking in, Wagman has now jumped into the Rice family. He cited his relationship with associate head coach and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo as a key factor in his recruitment. Lembo has been busy along the eastern seaboard, keeping tabs on several prospects of interest to the Owls. Wagman could be just the beginning.

 

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Owls hand out flurry of new 2019 offers

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Rice football extended a few new offers during the Owls’ bye week. Here’s a bit more on a few new names to know in the 2019 class.

With the recent decommitment of corner Gabe Jeudy, some good news on the recruiting front would be more than welcome for the Owls. That news comes in the form of a few new offers that went out this week.

WR Tyler Hudson – Klein Oak

Few have started their senior seasons as well as Hudson, a 3-star recruit per 247 Sports. In his first two games he caught 18 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns. He returned a punt for a score and picked up 24 yards on his lone carry of the year. He averaged just over 17 yards per catch as a junior and continues to be a deep threat for the Panthers.

Finding someone else that can make plays on the ball on the outside is still a need in the Rice offense. Brendan Harmon is continuing to develop as a redzone threat, but the depth behind him and Aaron Cephus is lacking. Hudson would be an excellent addition.

WR Keshunn Abram – Northwest (LA)

Another big play threat, JUCO wideout Keshunn Abram is an interesting target. The Owls are in early on Abram, who doesn’t appear to have any other D1 offers so far. In two games so far this season he’s tallied seven catches for 167 yards with one touchdown.

Someone that can take the top off the defense is an important piece for the “Stanford offense”. Right now the Owls have some shifty guys, but they could benefit from a more polished college pass catcher that can stretch the field.

OL Alec Bank – Tesoro (CA)

Adding size up front continues to be a focal point for this staff. Alec Bank tips the scales at 265 pounds and stands 6-foot-4. Rice has done a good job building depth in the 2019 class from inside the state of Texas and out of state. Blake is one of their out of state offers, and recruiters don’t get on a plane and fly to the west coast for someone they aren’t keenly interested in.

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