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Jack Fox earns invite to 2019 NFL Combine

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Former Rice football punter Jack Fox has been honored with an invitation to the 2019 NFL Combine to workout in front of NFL teams in Indianapolis.

Jack Fox is one step closer to achieving his NFL dreams. The former Rice football punter has received an invitation to participate in the 2019 NFL Combine. A trip to Indianapolis doesn’t guarantee Fox a professional career, but it does give him one more touchpoint with NFL teams, several of which will have interest.

Special teams continue to grow as an area of importance in the college and pro game. One doesn’t have to look much further than the Los Angeles Rams, who clinched a Super Bowl berth on the leg (and the arm) of punter Johnny Hekker.

Fox showed off his impressive leg at the East-West Shrine Game in mid-January. He already compares favorably in several measures to the punters drafted in previous years. He’s answered every test with a resounding “Yes”. There’s no reason to expect anything else when Fox works out for every NFL team for the second time in a little over a month’s time.

The NFL Combine is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Feb. 26 and end on Monday, Mar. 4. Specialists will arrive on Day 1 where they’ll complete the necessary registration and orientation. Measurements will be taken on Day 2 with media sessions and on-field kicking workouts scheduled to take place on Day 3. The final day, Day 4, will include televised on-field workouts and then the whirlwind will be over.

Those days will come, and if the past year is any indication, he’ll be ready to rise to the occasion. For Fox, this is just the next chapter, one that he’s been prepared for the entire way.

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Breaking down 2019 National Signing Day signees

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Rice football added five scholarship players to their ranks on National Signing Day, rounding out the 2019 class with 31 signees. Here’s more on the new Owls.

It was a productive National Signing Day for Rice football. The Owls added five players to their 17 early signing period signees and nine walk ons, bringing their total to 31 members in this class. Rice has room for four more players which could include a few more graduate transfers by the time this team takes the field in the fall.

The new additions filled three major areas of need:

1. Quarterback

Jovoni Johnson, QB – Conway, AR
Tom Stewart, QB – Harvard (Grad Transfer)

Rice needed to shore up the quarterback room after missing on a signal caller during the early signing period. They added two players, each fulfilling a different purpose. Tom Stewart is the veteran hand who has played D1 football. He’ll have a shot at the starting job, but most importantly, he’ll serve as an insurance policy for Wiley Green and Evan Marshman — both quarterbacks were injured during the 2019 season.

Johnson is a different case. The big-bodied dual threat passer is built from a different mold than any other quarterback on the roster. While it’s unlikely he challenges for a starting role in 2019, he’s a developmental prospect for the future with sky-high potential.

2. Defensive front seven

Myron Morrison, LB – Atascocita, TX
De’Braylon Carroll, DT – Duncanville, TX

Adding a few more hard hitters in the defensive front seven was another goal for National Signing Day. The departures of Zach Abercrumbia and Roe Wilkins left depth concerns which needed to be filled up front. De’Braylon Carroll will slide into the mix and compete for playing time this fall. Behind him the Owls added Myron Morrison a hard-hitting linebacker from just outside Houston.

If Carroll was 6-foot-1 (he’s 5-foot-11) the Owls wouldn’t have been able to sign him. The knock on him is his height, which he more than makes up for with a quick first step and explosive instincts. He’s going to be scary teamed up with Izeya Floyd in the middle of the defensive line.

3. Instant impact transfers

Brian Chaffin, OL – Stanford (Grad Transfer)

The offensive line was a work in progress last season and only truly started to gel in the final weeks of 2018. If the offense wants to take a step forward, they need better protection in the passing game and better blocking for their backs. Rice is addressing that problem by signing two graduate transfers on the offensive line in the 2019 class.

Chaffin’s addition is more than just filling a hole, though. Bloomgren recruited him to Stanford and remains close with him and his family. “I know he knows what it takes and what I believe in,” Bloomgren remarked. “I know he wants to help me advance that culture. His one year will be felt beyond.”

While the younger guys continue to develop and get stronger, this battle-tested pair (including early signee Nick Leverett) have the ability to catapult this entire unit forward significantly. All of a sudden a unit which had several question marks with the departures of Joseph Dill and Sam Pierce could become one the team’s biggest strengths.

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Offensive lineman Brian Chaffin commits to Owls

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Rice football secured the services of a blue-chip grad transfer, receiving a commitment from former Stanford offensive lineman Brian Chaffin.

The offensive line will forever be an emphasis at Rice football as long as Mike Bloomgren is the head coach. Getting the right pieces up front is critical to the success of this offense. The Owls took a big step in making things run even more smoothly in 2019 was the addition of grad transfer center Brian Chaffin.

Chaffin was a coveted center recruit out of high school with offers from Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and others. He missed out on a starting spot at Stanford, but saw action in plenty of games, tallying 28 appearances over three years.

The 6-foot-2, 275-pound North Carolina native will play his final season of college ball at Rice. Where he fits in along the line remains a question. He has the frame and the athleticism to play anywhere on the interior of the line. Moving him over to one of the guard spots would allow the team to keep Shea Baker at center. Baker had an impressive redshirt freshman season in 2018 and figures to be in the mix to start again next season. Regardless, adding another starting-caliber player on the offensive line is a must.

Chaffin’s contributions won’t be limited to on the field production. Recruited directly by Bloomgren to Palo Alto, Chaffin understands as well as anyone the kind of culture and work ethic Rice is working to create. Intellectual Brutality remains a tenet of the Stanford program. A graduate transfer like Chaffin who understands the system and the culture should be well suited for a leadership role.

A high-academic, high-caliber athlete with leadership potential is a slam dunk for Bloomgren and his coaching staff. Chaffin has the potential to be a key cog in the Owls’ rebuilding process in 2019. Not a strong enough endorsement? Here’s Bloomgren himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a20akRh3Q8

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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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Rice Football Recruiting: LB CJ Witten commits to Owls

Posted: August 21, 2024

A tackling machine has joined the ranks of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Liberty Christian linebacker CJ Witten has committed to the Owls. The 2025 Rice football recruiting class heated up in earnest this summer with players attending camp on campus and getting up close and personal with the staff. While that run of […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football, Landon Shaffer

Rice Football Recruiting: K Landon Shaffer commits to Owls

Posted: July 14, 2024

The first specialist of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has made his pledge official. Kicker Landon Shaffer has committed to the Owls. The 2025 Rice football recruiting class includes a commitment from players at almost every position on both sides of the ball, but until recently, it did not include any specialists. That changed […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football, Jordan Andrus

Rice Football Recruiting: TE Jordan Andrus commits to Owls

Posted: July 13, 2024

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class continues to soar with another impactful addition. Yates tight end Jordan Andrus has committed to the Owls. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class already stretches from coast to coast with commitments ranging from California to South Carolina and as far north as Michigan. The base of the class, though, […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football, Michael Amey

Rice Football Recruiting: SAF Michael Amey III commits to Owls

Posted: July 11, 2024

The recent wave of 2025 Rice Football recruiting class wins marches onward. Hightower safety Michael Amey III has committed to the Owls. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has added commitments from almost every position following a flurry of visits and offers in late June and early July. A true safety wasn’t among those new […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football, Brendon Rice

Rice Football Recruiting: DL Brendon Rice commits to Owls

Posted: July 5, 2024

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is bulking up in the trenches. Defensive tackle Brendon Rice has committed to the Owls. The state of Michigan is on the board. Following a recent run of Texas pledges for the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, the Owls headed north to land their most recent addition. North Farmington […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football, Payton Matthews

Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Payton Matthews commits to Owls

Posted: July 2, 2024

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just landed another difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball. Versatile athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls. At its core, recruiting is about finding the most talented athletes possible. Once they’re on campus, coaches have to put the pieces together in the most optimal way. The […]

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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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