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Rice Football Recruiting: Raising the talent profile at South Main

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Rice football has significantly raised their recruiting profile under coach Mike Bloomgren and the best days are still ahead for the Owls.

Much has changed for Rice football since Mike Bloomgren arrived at South Main in the winter of 2017. Beyond practice structures and pregame routines, raising the overall level of talent has been a noticeable improvement.

As demonstrated by the addition of some of the Owls’ biggest recruits in nearly a decade — Blaze Alldredge, Jake Bailey, Tre’shone Devones, Plae Wyatt, Brady Feeney, Braeden Nutter, Khalan Griffin, etc. — playmakers are flocking to Rice with renewed vigor.

It doesn’t just feel like Rice is getting more talented. The recruiting rankings bear out that reality. Take a look at the Owls’ CUSA recruiting finish and the number of three-star recruits signed in the last four seasons leading up to Bloomgren’s first class (2018).

2014 – 7th (in CUSA) – 5 (three-stars)
2015 – 8th – 8
2016 – 14th – 2
2017 – 12th – 3

That’s an average of the No. 10 class in CUSA with four 3-star recruits per cycle. Now let’s look at those numbers alongside Bloomgren’s classes, including the already impressive 2020 haul which ranks first in Conference USA.

2018 – 12th – 9
2019 – 12th – 11
2020 – 1st – 5

That’s an average of the No. 8 class in CUSA with eight 3-star recruits per cycle. If Rice maintains their current pace, they’ll finish with closer to 15 3-star (or better) players in 2020. With that projection factored in, Bloomgren’s first three classes would net an average of 12 3-star recruits in each class that’s TRIPLE the level of talent walking through the doors of the Patterson center compared to the last complete set of recruiting cycles.

Getting talent to campus won’t be worth much if the team doesn’t win. The coaching staff has turned 2-star recruits like Cole Garcia, Clay Servin and Wiley Green into important starting-caliber players. If Rice continues to hit on a few lesser-known recruits each cycle as the ceiling of each class grows, the results will follow.

So if it’s felt like things were different at South Main, that’s because they are.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO cornerback Miles Mccord commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice football recruiting class added another JUCO product to their secondary, augmenting the existing class with cornerback Miles Mccord.

The secondary was a problem area for Rice during the 2018 season. The safety play showed improvement with the additions of Prudy Calderon and consistent play of George Nyakwol. The 2019 class provided important reinforcement in the form of Hunter Henry, Kirk Lockhart and JUCO transfer Naeem Smith.

The corner position was more up in the air. That spurred additional attention after the bulk of the 2019 class has signed. Rice signed one true corner, Josh Landrum, in the first pass at the 2019 class. They added another with the addition of Duncanville’s Tre’shon Devones.

Even with those signings, there’s still room for more competition at the position. JUCO transfer Miles Mccord has jumped into the mix, committing to Rice after spending the 2018 season at Golden West College.

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Mccord appeared in eight games for Gold West College. The Rustlers rotated a lot of bodies in the defensive backfield while Mccord was there, keeping him fresh for the Owls in 2019. Even with somewhat limited playing time, McCord stood out with his top-end speed and ability to play the run and the pass well from the split out corner position. He’s an instinctive tackler with some burst and looks to possess the requisite speed to keep in stride with some of the faster receiving corps Rice will face.

Getting faster was a must at the corner position after their struggles with the deep ball in 2018. Way too many receivers got behind the defense. Mccord adds that speed and a raw, 6-foot, 161-pound frame with time to develop the rest of his game alongside a rebuilt secondary which suddenly features a host of options. He’ll be thrown into the mix immediately.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2019 Cornerback Tre’shon Devones commits to Owls

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The 2019 Rice Football recruiting class added one more finishing touch with the commitment of Duncanville cornerback Tre’shon Devones.

The vast majority of schools around the nation have long since moved past their 2019 recruiting classes. Rice is working tirelessly to ensure they have the best talent available to them in every capacity possible. The 2019 class was poised to be special, but it got even better with one last addition from the high school ranks.

The Owls have tucked another high-ceiling, game-changing defensive prospect into their 2019 recruiting class. Teammate of Rice signee De’Braylon Carroll at Texas high school powerhouse, Duncanville, Tre’shon Devones has made his pledge to Rice.

A 3-star cornerback recruit, Devones committed to Air Force in February but chose not to sign a Letter of Intent on National Signing Day. That left him the latitude to sign with another school, should he choose to do so.

After weighing his options, Devones has opted to do just that. He picked Rice over Air Force, as well as offers from Baylor, Iowa State, Syracuse and Washington State. His addition immediately bolsters a position of great need.

Rice Football, Rice Football RecruitingDevones is the second-highest rated commitment in the 2019 class, trailing only standout California WR/DB Jake Bailey. Were he a member of the 2020 class, which ranks No. 1 among all CUSA schools, he’d be the highest rated recruit to commit thus far. When those inside the walls at South Main talk about raising the level of talent in the program, players like Devones are who they’re talking about.

The 6-foot, 165 pound defensive back plays with aggression. He’s going to attack the ball in the air and isn’t afraid to come up from the secondary to make a play. Devones is athletic and good with his hands, making opposing quarterbacks pay for their misfires with his fast break.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 push continues into summer

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The summer is approaching and Rice football recruiting is picking up steam. The Owls are working hard to add a few of these additional top targets.

The last weeks of May have been spent on the road. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is making stops across Texas on the Coaches Caravan. He made an appearance on Dave Campbell’s Texas Campbell live show on Thursday, one of several stops along the way. The coaching staff is making their rounds too. Camps start in June, making the final days of May a critical recruiting window.

Putting a bow on 2019

After the addition of Harvard grad transfer Charlie Booker, Rice has filled up all but one spot in their 2019 class. That last spot will more than likely be reserved for a corner given the youth at the position right now. There are a few options in the market at the position, whomever the right fit, Rice wants to have the last scholarship accounted for in the next two weeks.

Current commits leading the charge in 2020

Rice has the top-ranked 2020 class in Conference USA and it stands to get even better. The staff is working their avenues to add more talent to the group, but so are the members of the 2020 class themselves. Longtime commit Plae Wyatt and recent addition Khalan Griffin have taken up vocal leadership positions with the class. They’re recruiting the recruits and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

New Caney’s Zion Childress has been a focal point of their efforts at wide receiver. He was on campus for the Blue and Gray Spring Game and has spoken highly of the staff and the current class. He’s made plans to be in attendance at the Addidas Three Stripe camp on June 1.

The Owls have been choosey with their spring offers, only handing out a handful as they work to build on a strong start. One of those key targets is California defensive end Lance Keneley. A coveted recruit with offers from the likes of Utah, Colorado, Duke,  Northwestern and Vanderbilt, Kenely remains interested in what Rice has to offer.

He hasn’t gone as far to narrow down his choices, but the appeal of a first-class degree and D1 football is at the front of his mind. He’s developing a great relationship with the coaching staff and hopes to get to campus soon.

Quarterbacks

Rice has been choosy with the 2020 quarterback class. They’ve been all over the country and have begun to trim the list of possibilities down. The Owls have extended offers to Fresno State commit Jaden Casey from California, who has reciprocated some interest. Florida passer Devon Lingle holds their other quarterback offer.

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Football: Former Harvard Running back Charlie Booker to transfer to Owls

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Former Harvard Crimson running back and Houston native, Charlie Booker has committed to play out his remaining eligibility with Rice football at South Main.

Mike Bloomgren spent the winter and early spring scouring the Transfer Portal in search of players who can provide an impact on the field immediately this coming season. After adding several graduate transfers in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day the Owls are working to put the finishing touches in place this spring.

There are a few loose ends to wrap up in the 2019 class, but Rice crossed one area of need off the list with the addition of former Harver running back Charlie Booker. The former Cy Ranch standout plans to join his former quarterback Tom Stewart at South Main in the fall.

A two-time team MVP and senior captain for the Crimson, Booker was a first-team All-Ivy League selection in 2017, racking up 733 yards and six touchdowns that season. In three seasons he amassed 1,230 yards and 10 scores. He fell into a timeshare role in 2018, but remained every bit as explosive. Rice has several shifty backs on the roster. Booker has some twitch, but more importantly, he runs hard north and south.

Booker’s addition gives the Owls a stable of talented running backs to lean on to support Bloomgren’s run-heavy scheme. That’s especially important given the offseason departures of Austin Walter (graduation) and Emmanuel Esukpa (transfer).

The new transfer will be aided by Aston Walter and Juma Otoviano. Freshman Jawan King could force his way into the mix as well. Having this many capable mouths to feed is a good problem to have. That’s especially true when two of those four horses are experienced veterans like Booker and Walter.

Standing 5-foot-9, Booker tips the scales right at 200 pounds but he plays big. He’s a candidate to be the most physical runner on the roster from day one. Just check out the first play on his highlight reel.

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