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Wide receiver Bradley Rozner commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class keeps growing. The latest addition comes in the form of playmaking JUCO wide receiver Bradley Rozner.

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

On the same evening the Owls landed a commitment from defensive back Josh Landrum the Rice offense picked up a weapon of their own. Wide receiver Bradley Rozner has committed to the Owls. Rice beat out offers from Incarnate Word and HBU to earn Rozner’s commitment.

Rozner is the third pass catcher in the Owls’ 2019 class which includes wide receiver Zane Knipe and tight end Jack Bradley. He’s the first junior college player of the class and likely would be expected to contribute a meaningful role quickly.

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Originally a product of Needville High School, Rozner will join the Owls this winter from Cisco Junior College. While there he racked up 616 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in the span of nine games this season. His 13 touchdowns led all NJCAA players. Strong stat lines can put anyone on the map, but it’s Rozner’s play that drew an offer from Rice.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wideout ran circles around his JUCO competition but what stands out the most are his hands. He attacks the ball in the air and has a knack for turning 50/50 jump balls into 80/20 tosses. D’Angelo Ellis was thrust into that role later in the 2018 season, but Rozner’s size makes him a natural fit for that assignment in 2019.

Rozner paired with Aaron Cephus and Brendan Harmon will give the Owls three big-bodied receivers 6-foot-4 or taller next season. The fade to Cephus became a go-to play in the redzone, and adding another physical wideout on the other side will make the offense that much better and more difficult to defend.

As much as Rice wants to be a run-dominant offense, they’re going to need pass catchers who can make the big plays when it matters. Rozner makes plays.

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Cornerback Josh Landrum commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class picked up a big addition in the secondary with the commitment of Cedar Hill corner Josh Landrum.

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

Josh Landrum and teammate Kirk Lockhart played their high school ball together at Cedar Hill. Next year they’ll share the same field in college. Landrum and Lockhart, who made their pledges to head coach Mike Bloomgren and the Owls over Homecoming weekend, have now both announced their commitments to Rice.

Rice beat out offers from Air Force, Delta State, Georgetown and others to secure Landrum’s commitment. At the time of his commitment, eight other programs had offered the talented defensive back. The Owls won the race.

He was able to step foot on campus on game day against UTEP and take in the facilities, speak with the staff and interact with some of the Owls many recruits who were in for the weekend. It was a big weekend for the Owls, who picked up 2019 safety Hunter Henry as well.

Brandon Douglas-Dotson and Justin Bickham have played the majority of the reps at corner for the Owls in 2018. Both are upperclassmen, Douglas-Dotson being in his final year of eligibility, with little in the way of experienced players behind them. Strengthening this unit will be a priority of the 2019 class and Landrum is an excellent start.

Landrum stands 6-foot, 165-pounds. 247 Sports tabs him as a 2-star recruit and a top 300 corner in the nation.

The accolades are nice, but what’s most important to the Owls is how he fits on the field with this secondary. He provides a skillset Rice desperately needs on the outside, a lockdown corner that can play on an island and win one-on-one battles — something that’s absolutely critical in Brian Smith’s defensive scheme.

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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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