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2019 WR Zane Knipe commits to Owls

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Houston, speed is not a problem. Rice football has secured the commitment of blazing-fast wideout Zane Knipe from Lamar High School.

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

Houston speedster Zane Knipe is staying home. After bringing in several out-of-state prospects early on this summer the Owls returned to their own stomping grounds to reel in another big-time commitment. The 3-star wide receiver out of Lamar High School in Houston announced his commitment to the Owls on Twitter :

https://twitter.com/k_zane28/status/1022298969425231873

This one was a big one for the Owls. Knipe put himself into the spotlight with a strong showing at The Opening – Houston. He’s got great finesse and moves well on the field, but his speed is what could make him a gamebreaker on the next level. A 4×100 relay runner, Knipe has the ability to turn on the jets and go.

Knipe’s recruitment has been relatively quiet up to this point. When he decided the time was right to commit to Rice he’d only reportedly received one other D1 scholarship offer from Illinois. Regardless of whether it was the allure of the Owls or his happiness with home cooking, Knipe’s commitment is one more brick in a message that coach Mike Bloomgren has been building for some time. Rice is good enough on every front for kids to stay in town rather than go out of state. Knipe obviously believes it, and more could follow.

The commitment from Knipe will bump the Owls back up to No. 6 in Conference USA, sliding in one spot in front of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. That’s a good start for mid-summer, especially considering where the Owls have been in the ranks at this point in prior years (hint: think bottom).

Bloomgren’s first full recruiting class continues to move along. Whether it’s the dead period, the quiet period or the normal course of the season, he’s working. His efforts to get Knipe into the fold have paid off. Who’s next?

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2019 quarterback Trevor Bycznski commits to Owls

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Rice football picked up their first commitment in the month of July with the announcement of 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski’s pledge to the Owls.

The recruiting cycle tends to slow down in the month of July. In-person visits are on hold during the NCAA imposed “dead period” and most coaches are busy with media days and last minute odds and ends. Even though the Owls couldn’t make any face-to-face overtures they still added to their 2019 recruiting class. 3-star quarterback Trevor Bycznski from Cleveland, Ohio announced his commitment to Rice football on July 17.

https://twitter.com/bycznski8/status/1019371787052777477

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound passer is the first quarterback in the 2019 class and a massive building block for head coach Mike Bloomgren and his program. He chose the Owls over offers from Bowling Green, Georgetown, Buffalo, North Dakota State, Ball State and others.

Although he has yet to be offered by any Power 5 program, Bycznski was on the radar of several big name schools thanks to an impressive performance at Notre Dame’s Elite Skills Camp in June. Tom Loy of 247 Sports called Bycznski “terrific” and “the most physically-ready” quarterback in attendance.

Bycznski had the strongest arm at the event. He was putting a ton of zip on his passes and spinning it extremely well. Beyond the fact that he clearly has a hose and a big, strong build, Bycznski showed off accuracy with the football and a quick release. He had a smooth, clean motion and the ball shot out of his hand. Tom Lay, 247 Sports

In addition to his strong arm, Bycznski has plus mobility. He’s not afraid to take the ball himself when a play breaks down and has enough quickness to exploit defenses on the ground when given the opportunity.

Bycznski is the third out-of-state commitment. That’s marks an uptick in the focus outside Texas compared to the Owls’ entire 2018 class which features six signees from outside the state of Texas. He joins a Rice class that ranks seventh in Conference USA and inside the top 100 classes nationally (No. 99).

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3-star WR Calvin Wiggins Jr reflects on his recent visit

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Rice football recruiting is in full swing. We caught up with one of the Owls recent offers, wide receiver Calvin Wiggins Jr, to talk about his visit and outlook on the program.

In the last few days before the dead period began the Rice football staff hosted a handful of recruits for on campus visits.  One of those visitors, 2019 wide receiver Calvin Wiggins Jr., left with an offer and several kind words about the university.

In addition to enjoying his discussions with the staff and the football talk, Wiggins impressed by the beauty of the campus and its unified culture. “It’s like a town in itself,” Wiggins recalled, “I like how everyone is connected and close.” For Rice student-athletes, the commitment to the university lasts much longer than four years. Students, like Wiggins, that realize the importance of the trimmings around the football field are important for this program going forward.

Rice is going to have to work to get Wiggins into the fold. The 3-star recruit from Trophy Club, Texas has 14 offers, including the one from Rice he picked up in late June. Right now, the Owls are up against programs like BYU, Kansas, Army, Navy and Arkansas State, among others.

For now, Wiggins is focussing on getting his feet grounded. “This process is something I’ve never been through before,” Wiggins admitted when discussing his visit. “It’s been exciting to get the opportunity to talk to the coaches and view the campus. My experience on campus was really good.”

Rice can’t have students back on campus for an official visit until the fall. For now, coach Mike Bloomgren and his staff will have to stay in contact with guys like Wiggins and others remotely. Perhaps if that relationship continues to strengthen the Owls can get Wiggins back to Houston soon.

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2019 Kicker Zach Hoban commits to Owls

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Rice Football picked up a commitment from Zach Hoban (West Orange, New Jersey), their first specialist of the 2019 class.

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

The 2019 class continues to grow. Over the span of a few weeks, the Owls have climbed the recruiting ranks. After lingering at the bottom of Conference USA they own the No. 7 class in the conference and the No. 93 class in the nation thanks to their most recent addition, kicker Zack Hoban from West Orange, New Jersey.

Hoban is the second out-of-state commitment for the Owls this cycle. He joins fellow New Englander Garrett Braden. Hoban made his announcement on Twitter:

A punter and kicker in high school, Hoban first earned the attention of the Rice staff when he won the field goal competition at the Owls’ camp in early June. His strong leg earned him an offer which later turned into a commitment. Hoban picked Rice over an offer to kick at Army.

In 2017 Hoban connected on 7-of-11 field goals and 27-of-28 point-after tries. His long of the season was a 42-yarder. He also handled kickoffs and punt duty while in high school. Whether its placekicking or punting, Hoban will have an opportunity to get on the field early at Rice.

The Owls leading kicker from last season, Will Harrison, attempted four field goals last season and made two of them. That’s a small sample size. He’ll have one more year to earn the spot, but will be short on eligibility by the time Hoban gets to campus for the 2019 season. The same is true for the rest of the kicking competition – both Jack Fox and Haden Tobola will be seniors this coming season.

There’s a bit more depth at punter. Fox handled the punting duties last season, but Rice has two other punters on the roster: Nick McQuarry and Chris Barnes. Hoban could be in the mix there as well.

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Owls enter dead period in middle of CUSA recruiting ranks

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Rice football is looking to turn over a new leaf on the recruiting trail and so far it looks like head coach Mike Bloomgren is doing just that.

Rice football enters the dead period in the thick of the CUSA recruiting ranks. No school has a particularly large class up to this point, and there are still a little more than five months to go before the early signing period begins in December. At that point, most staffs will look to have the majority of their classes locked down. That means a lot can, and probably will change.

As far as things look right now, Rice has the No. 6 class. With three 3-stars in the fold, it seems to primarily be a numbers game. The leader, North Texas, has nine commitments. As Rice continues to grow their class they’ll continue to edge their way up the list. If the Owls add one more 3-star commitment they’ll vault from the No. 6 class to the No. 4 class. Here’s how the full ranks look:

Rice being in the middle of the recruiting standings at all is noteworthy. The Owls haven’t finished in the top six since the 2013 class and are coming off of three consecutive seasons in which they finished dead last in the conference. The progress made my Bloomgren and his staff at this point is impressive, and their class is only beginning to take shape.

If Rice wants to contend for conference championships they’ll need to improve the level of talent on the field. Finishing at the bottom of CUSA won’t be enough, and Bloomgren certainly knows that. Checking in right in the middle of the pack at this point of the race is a good start, with plenty of opportunities to turn the 2019 class into a significant milestone in Rice’s push for relevancy on the gridiron.

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