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Rice Athletics: Owls have no plans to cut sports

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Athletic departments across the country are trimming back. Rice Athletics has no plans to cut sports and will keep its 14 teams intact.

Rice Athletics does not intend to cut any of its sponsored athletic teams. In fact, dropping a sport was never on the table at Rice. “It’s just not been part of our calculus at all,” Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard said.

The rationale for the ease of that decision hinges on how college athletics are currently structured. Rice fields 14 varsity sports, the minimum required by the NCAA to retain D1 status.

Dropping a sport to save money in the current environment would require Rice to get a waiver, which likely would be temporary. The ramifications of that decision are currently on display at Central Michigan.

CMU went below the required six men’s sports when it opted to drop the it’s men’s track and field this spring. To prevent the loss of their D1 status, they applied for a waiver which was granted in early June. Athletic Director Michael Alford noted that the waiver applied to the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. If Central Michigan intends to maintain it’s D1 status beyond that, they’ll have to add another men’s sport or get another waiver.

Rice wasn’t interested in playing that game. Given the infrastructure and athletes already in place on campus, cutting back on a program for such a brief period of time might create more problems than it solves. Central Michigan may very well decide to reinstate its men’s track program in two years.

That said, the cancelation of the NCAA Tournament put universities across the nation in a tough spot. Many depend on revenue distributions from that marquee spring event. Losing that check put budgets everywhere under the microscope.

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That might have been enough to spur change on its own, but the dark cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to loom over the upcoming academic calendar. It quickly became clear that more changes were on the way.

Here’s a brief list of D1 programs that have been eliminated during the past four months:

  • Old Dominion: Wrestling
  • Central Michigan: Men’s track and field
  • Cincinnati: Men’s soccer
  • FIU: Men’s track and field (reported, not announced yet by school)
  • Akron: Men’s cross country, men’s golf and women’s tennis
  • Furman: Baseball and men’s lacrosse
  • Wisconsin Green-Bay: Men’s and women’s tennis
  • East Carolina: Men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming and diving
  • App State: Men’s soccer, men’s tennis and men’s track and field
  • Wright State: Softball, men’s and women’s tennis
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Rice Athletics: Bubble inflation some good news on South Main

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Rice Athletics has its bubble. After more than a year of waiting, the Waltrip Indoor Training center has been inflated and will soon be ready for use.

Originally announced last summer, the Waltrip Indoor Training Center is nearing completion. For the first time, the bubble, as it is more often referred to, began being inflated on Friday morning. It’s expected to be permanently inflated in the coming weeks.

The inflation process capped off an extended construction period that was delayed by electrical issues a year ago and a pandemic this spring.

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The structure is named after Robert L. Waltrip. The lead gift giver, Waltrip was recruited to Rice under head coach Jess Neely in 1953. The center stands adjacent to Historic Rice Stadium in the attached parking lot. In his original statement so many months ago, Waltrip voiced his excitement for the project:

“I am grateful to be in the position to support this facility, which will have such a positive impact for student-athletes and the entire Rice community,” Waltrip said. “My connection to Rice began when I was young and my father would take me to football games at the old Rice Field. That connection stayed with me through my college years and into my adulthood. This is my hometown school and I will always be proud to be a Rice Owl.”

The inflatable indoor facility is yet another infrastructure addition for Rice Athletics in recent history. The Brian Patterson center was the most recent new construction, completed in the Fall of 2016. That, combined with the bubble, will help keep Rice in the arms race that is modern college athletics recruiting.

Further renovations to the stadium itself were under consideration prior to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in recent months. There is no set timetable for those changes at this time. When the time is right, they will be at the forefront for consideration.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 QB Shawqi Itraish commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has its quarterback. Bradenton, Florida signal caller Shawqi Itraish has committed to the Owls.

After several months of searching, the 2021 Rice football recruiting class has landed its quarterback. Shawqi Itraish from Bradenton, Florida has committed to Rice. Itraish is a pro-style quarterback who does most of his damage in the pocket. That’s a different mold than JoVoni Johnson, the Owls’ most recent high school signee at the position.

Rice did not sign a high school quarterback in the 2020 class, opting instead for two transfers. They added Mike Collins from TCU and TJ McMahon from the junior college ranks. That made finding the right high school passer a crucial component of the 2021 class.

The Owls were choosy with their offers, only handing out five despite the importance of the position. Three of those came on the cusp of the recruiting dead period set off my the COVID-19 restrictions, including Itraish’s. Landing a commitment from him during a pandemic is a credit to the Owls’ staff. Itraish chose Rice over offers from Appalachian State, UConn and Buffalo, among others.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting commitment tracker

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class now has nine commitments, including Itraish. All nine are rated as three-star recruits by 247 Sport. Itraish and offensive lineman Faaenuu Pepe, the Owls’ first commitment of the class, are their only two out-of-state commits at this time.

Itraish stands 6-foot-3 and weighs just under 200 pounds. There’s a lot to like about Itraish on the field. He throws with anticipation and is a quick processor. He checks a ton of boxes on the mental side of the position and plays with toughness. He’s not afraid to take a hit and finds ways to get the ball where it needs to be under pressure.

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Rice Football: Jersey numbers revealed for incoming freshman class

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The incoming Rice football freshman is one step closer to taking the field for the first time. The new Owls have been assigned jersey numbers.

The past few months have been unique for everyone. The incoming Rice football freshman class has been no exception. In a more traditional offseason, each player would have received a virtual copy of the playbook and instructions to study up before they got to campus for summer workouts. Their understanding would have been primarily driven by their own study and willingness to get ahead of the curve.

The virtual learning environment brought about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for those freshmen to mee with their teammates. In many ways, they’ve had more exposure to the program and the scheme than any class has had before them. Rather than begin their learning cover in earnest over the summer, the incoming class had a significant head start.

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With voluntary workouts set to begin soon, Rice football players and staff will begin to arrive on campus. That will include the 27 true freshmen that Rice will add to the team for the 2020 season. Here are the jersey numbers for those newcomers:

6. Griffin, Khalan (RB)
13. Narcisse, Lamont (CB)
14. Kamper, Nate (TE)
16. Doddridge, Jonah (S)
23. Tawa, Casey (WR)
25. Dunbar, Jordan (CB)
25. Mason, Andrew (WR)
26. Taylor, Gabe (S)
27. Awe, Andrew (LB)
28. Campbell, Kobie (RB)
29. Fresch, Sean (CB)
34. Ellis, Terreance (LB)
40. Reeves, Jalen (DE)
41. Wyatt, Plae (S)
42. Hibbard, Brian (FB)
44. Hargon, Geron (LB)
52. Nutter, Braedon (OL)
53. Leone, Mike (OL)
61. Witt, Harry (OL)
69. Lovell, Payton (OL)
72. Phillippi, Trey (OL)
81. Chappelle, Caleb (WR)
83. Wallace, Ryan (WR)
89. Haack, Michael (WR)
95. James, Caleb (DT)
98. Heitmann, Van (DE)
99. Latos, Cole (DE)

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls add Richmond transfer TE Andrew Tsangeos

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has added a grad transfer from the FCS. Former Richmond tight end Andrew Tsangeos will play his final season with the Owls.

The 2020 football season is currently proceeding as planned. The Owls are managing their affairs as if they’ll play a game on September 3 against Houston. Part of those preparations includes filling out the roster with players the staff believes can help the team this season. To that end, the Rice staff has paid careful attention to the Transfer Portal in recent weeks, looking for the final pieces of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

Former Richmond tight end Andrew Tsangeos is the newest such addition. Tsangeos has committed to the Owls as a graduate transfer for the upcoming season after spending the past four years in the FCS ranks.

Tsangeos cited the “intelligence, passion, and commitment of the coaching staff especially Coach Monfiletto and Coach Bloomgren” as a key reason for his decision. Adding that the staff “cares about their players as more than just athletes, but as men too.”

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Tsangeos was a former high school quarterback who signed with Richmond prior to the 2015 season. He redshirted his freshman year, eventually moving to the tight end position. His first meaningful action came as a junior in 2018 when he played 10 games, catching eight passes for 90 yards. He added six receptions for 57 yards during his senior season.

Along the way, Tsangeos started a total of three games in his junior and senior seasons. He won’t be a starter for Rice, but his experience playing meaningful minutes for a traditionally strong FCS program will pay dividends at South Main.

Rice will use Tsangeos in a variety of ways. A converted quarterback, his adaptability and versatility will not go unnoticed. He’s a trustworthy blocker who will spend a lot of time playing on the line of scrimmage. He’ll also have the requisite flexibility to be split out in the slot when needed.

Tsangeos, who recently arrived in Houston, said the team has “welcomed [him] with open arms” and that he “felt like [he] fit in with the family right away.” He joins former Boston College wide receiver Christian McStravick as post-signing day additions to the 2020 class. McStravick’s commitment came earlier in the summer.

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