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Rice Football 2019 National Signing Day live tracker

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National Signing Day is here and the 2019 Rice football class is being finalized. Here are the latest news and updates as they come in.

More: Check out the latest list of 2019 Rice football commitments and signees

4:46 p.m. – Update

Progress is being made on multiple fronts concerning potential grad transfers. There isn’t likely to be another announcement today, but there are a few guys that are varying degrees of close to coming on board.

3:55 p.m. – Not done yet

Bloomgren confirmed during his press conference this afternoon the 2019 class is not yet complete. There are a handful of grad transfer targets still out there which the staff is working to finalize in addition to the ones who have signed thus far.

1:28 p.m. – Two more walk-ons

  • Linebacker Edmond Lahlouh
  • Offensive lineman Isaac Klarkowksi

1:05 p.m. – More walk-ons coming through

  • Punter Charlie Mendes
  • Offensive lineman Connor Hughes
  • Wide receiver Bennett Mecom
  • Offensive lineman Jerry Johnson

12:05 p.m. – Preferred walk-on update

There is some paperwork to sort out before Rice can formally announce preferred walk-ons. There will be a few introduced today and many more in the days to come. Here’s who’s in right now:

  • Running back Ayden Noriega
  • Offensive lineman Nick Wagman
  • Safety Chike Anigbogu

11:40 a.m. – Update

With the addition of Chaffin, the 2019 signing class is up to 21 players.

16 high school signees
2 JUCO players: Smith, Rozner
3 Grad transfers: Leverett, Stewart, Chaffin

That leaves Rice with four open spots for this class but National Signing Day isn’t over yet. There should be at least a few more commitments coming down the pipe, if not today, then in the coming weeks.

11:29 a.m. – Stanford transfer Brian Chaffin has committed to Rice.

11:06 a.m. – Tom Stewart is in.

10:06 a.m. – Update

All three of the expected high school additions have submitted their Letter of Intent. We’re stilling waiting on an official announcement on Harvard transfer Tom Stewart. Word on his addition should come around lunch time. He won’t be the only additional name added to this class by late afternoon.

9:31 a.m. – De’Braylon Carroll has sent in his Letter of Intent.

8:19 a.m. Update

Two signatures in so far from a pair of committed players. We’re still waiting on two more commits and should sign another few prospects who have not made a public announcement yet. More to come.

8:15 a.m. – Jovoni Johnson has sent in his Letter of Intent.

7:51 a.m. – Myron Morrison has sent in his Letter of Intent.

7:10 a.m.

Here we go. First signature could be coming in any time now. Hurry up and wait.

Wednesday – 5:30 a.m.

Letters of intent can be sent in starting at 8:00 a.m. local times. That means we could see things start rolling as early as 7:00 a.m. CT.

Tuesday

Rice has four players committed players expected to sign on National Signing Day. All four have solidified their commitments in the past month, leaving little concern among the staff that any sort of 11th-hour defection might occur this time around. If things go to plan, we’ll see signatures from quarterback Jovoni Johnson, quarterback Tom Stewart, linebacker Myron Morrison and defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll.

On the eve of National Signing Day, we made predictions for which additional names could jump on board here.

As the 2019 class started to close, Rice sent out a flurry of offers for 2020. This was the first batch of offers Rice had extended to anyone out of the 2019 class. Notable names include Bishop Lynch safety Plae Wyatt and Tomball Memorial wideout Logan Kyle. Expect things to pick up on that front in short order.

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2019 Rice Football recruiting National Signing Day predictions

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National Signing Day is upon us and the 2019 Rice Football signing class is nearly complete. Here’s how the Owls will look to finish.

Rice signed 17 players during the early signing period in December. Since then they’ve picked up commitments from four scholarship players, bringing their total up to 21 commitments on the eve of National Signing Day.

They’ve also added a host of preferred walk-ons, including a trio of players who made announcements on Monday: running back Ayden Noriega, safety Chike Anigbogu and wide receiver Bennett Mecom

The Owls have five spots remaining, but there isn’t a rush to fill them at all costs. The coaching staff is going to stay tuned in to the transfer markets as the day unfolds. Don’t be surprised to see a spot (or two) unused by the end of the day on Wednesday. The Transfer Portal will remain open for a while, giving the teams and players ample time to feel out which situations work best for all parties involved.

Here’s how the class is most likely to finish

QB – Stewart*, Johnson
OL – Riddle, Jones, Leverett*, [Chaffin*], [Gooseberry*]
WR – Knipe, Rozner*
TE – Bradley
FB – [Williams*]
RB – King
DL – Floyd, Bickham, Pearcy, Carroll
LB – Braden, Morrison 
S – Henry, Lockhart, Smith*
CB – Bailey, Landrum
K – Hoban

* = Graduate or JUCO transfer
(italics) = unsigned players
[projected additions]

That projection calls for three new additions: Stanford transfers Brian Chaffin and Reagan Williams as well as OBU offensive lineman Justin Gooseberry. Other targets Mike Hinton, Kenyon Reed, Ardell Brown and others remain options, but none are probable to sign with the Owls on Wednesday. Any of that trio of grad transfers could decide to keep their options open too, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Don’t Miss: Full commitments profiles on each of Rice football 2019 signees and commits

If Rice can pick up at least two of those grad transfers before they close the book on the 2019 class, they’ll be in good shape. Even if they don’t this is shaping up to be another strong class for Mike Bloomgren and his staff headed into Year 2.

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Quarterback Jovoni Johnson commits to Owls

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Rice football has a quarterback in their 2019 class. Arkansas native Jovoni Johnson has committed to Mike Bloomgren and the Owls.

Houston, we have a quarterback. After a surprise decommitment from long-time commit Trevor Bycznski on the first day of the early signing period, Rice was left in need of a signal caller. The Owls could have gotten by without signing a high school quarterback in the 2019 class, but the number of injuries suffered at the position last year combined with roster turnover made getting at least one a clear priority.

After whittling down their list to a select few, Rice keyed in on Conway, Arkansas product Jovoni Johnson. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound dual threat quarterback held offers from Central Arkansas, Delta St, Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech. Instead of staying near home, he elected to head south to Houston. Johnson made his pledge to Rice during the Owls’ first official visit weekend of 2019.

Johnson brings a unique skillset to the table. Not only can he sling it, but he also carries the ball with power. Slides don’t make the highlight tapes, neither does throwing the ball away. Nevertheless, Johnson’s willingness to power through contact and make plays however possible make his upside exciting. A year or two under the tutelage of Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Jerry Mack should unlock even more ability from an already talented athlete.

The quarterback room is better and much more diverse with the addition of Johnson. Adding his skillset to the flashes of production this offense saw from Wiley Green and Evan Marshman last season makes for a brighter future for Rice quarterbacks in 2019 and beyond. Johnson is a big pickup for this class and one of the finishing touches for the staff in the final days before National Signing Day.

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Owls key in on remaining targets for 2019 class

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class is almost in the books. Here are a few names to keep an eye on as National Signing Day approaches.

The Owls signed 17 players in the early signing period. Since then they’ve picked up commitments from three players — Atascocita linebacker Myron Morrison, Duncanville defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll,  Harvard grad transfer Tom Stewart. That brings the 2019 Rice football recruiting class up to 20 players. Rice has 26 spots this year, which leaves six spots to fill.

A quick note on eligibility

As the Owls hone in on their final few names there are a few players who Rice would love to take who won’t be academically eligible. Out of respect to the individuals, I won’t be sharing any names, but keep that in mind when culling through the potential pool of candidates.

There are high academic standards at Rice. That will always be a part of the calculus when it comes to building the Owls’ yearly recruiting classes. Football is an important part of the equation, but every athlete has to have the grades too.

Grad transfers

As previously noted, Center Brian Chaffin and fullback Reagan Williams remain near the top of the priority list for Mike Bloomgren and his staff. Defensive lineman Mike Hinton from Columbia and offensive lineman Justin Gooseberry from Ouachita Baptist are two more players to watch. Both players will on campus this weekend, the final official visit weekend for Rice in the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Hinton was a team captain at Columbia last season. He started every game at defensive tackle where he racked up 3.5 sacks and 29 tackles. Hinton has experienced at defensive end, playing on the edge in both seasons prior to 2018.

Gooseberry was named a DII All-American and anchored an Ouachita Baptist line which allowed just 15 sacks all season, a mark which would rank in the top 11 nationally among FBS teams. For reference, Rice quarterbacks were sacked 24 times last season.

High school targets

Jovoni Johnson remains the clear-cut target at quarterback in this cycle. Stewart has only one season remaining, making replenishing the pipeline behind Wiley Green and Evan Marshman a focal point of this class.

If Rice can secure Johnson’s commitment and sign a few of those grad transfer targets they’ll be running out of space in the 2019 class. For example, Johnson plus three more grad transfers would put the class at 24 players, leaving room for two more high school players. The math is fairly simple, what’s less clear is who is going to get the last few spot(s).

Corner Kenyon Reed and wide receiver Ardell Brown are two interesting names to keep an eye on. Reed also offers from Iowa State and Kansas State but has built in a strong relationship with the Rice coaching staff. Brown’s offer list might be less decorated, but his speed would be a great addition to the offense.

Don’t Miss: Full list of Rice football 2019 signees and commits

At this point it’s not looking likely any of the former Houston signees will be a part of this class, but if there are one or two guys the Owls could make a late run at it would be corner Isaiah Essissima and receiver Ife Adeyi. Both have publically announced they were leaving UH. A few other names might be in the mix, but those would two of the most probable candidates.

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Quarterback Tom Stewart commits to Owls

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For the second year in a row, Rice football adds a notable grad transfer quarterback, securing a commitment from Harvard passer Tom Stewart.

Having an experienced voice in the quarterback room was a priority during the 2019 recruiting cycle. Shawn Stankavage transferred from Vanderbilt last year, and in addition to serving as a mentor to underclassmen Wiley Green and Evan Marshman, he started the majority of the Owls’ games.

Rice went a bit farther north this year, earning the commitment of Harvard transfer Tom Stewart. He saw sparse action during his first three seasons with the Crimson before earning the starting job in 2018. Stewart threw 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He was knocked out of the game against Yale with a hip injury, but has since made a full recovery.

Stewart will battle with Marshman and Green and incoming freshman Jovoni Johnson for the starting spot in 2019. With Green and Marshman one year wiser, he’ll have his work cut out for him to win the job. For now though, he’s going to get a shot with the ever-present guidance from coach Mike Bloomgren that the players that earn playing time will be on the field this fall.

Rice hoped the addition of Stewart would lead to one more Crimson addition. Stewart’s former wide receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley would eventually opt for Vanderbilt over Rice. Landing another playmaker would have been huge, but Stewart’s importance to this class shouldn’t be understated.

Stewart fills a void in the Owls’ depth chart and the locker room. He’s a veteran among a host of freshman and sophomores. His experience plus his ability make him a meaningful addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class.

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