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The Roost Podcast | Ep 175 – ’24 UTSA Preview with Jared Kalmus

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Next up as The Roost Podcast continues its AAC opponent previews: Jared Kalmus of Alamo Audible dives into UTSA football in 2024.

A familiar foe and a longtime friend of the podcast, Jared Kalmus of Alamo Audible joins us this week to preview UTSA football in 2024. From the absence of star quarterback Frank Harris to the gradual assimilation of even greater depth on this roster, what should we expect from the Roadrunners this fall?

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 175.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

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Previewing 2024 UTSA Football with Jared Kalmus

  • Life after Frank Harris
  • Is this a sneaky bounce-back year for the Roadrunners?
  • Shifting offensive philosophies
  • Potential new playmakers in the passing game
  • Key transfer additions on defense
  • Can we talk about the CFB Playoff?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 174 – ’24 UAB Preview with Evan Dudley

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The Roost Podcast is kicking off AAC opponent previews. Up first: Evan Dudley of Al.com previews UAB football in 2024.

The Rice football season will be here before we know it. Now we begin the long road back to the fall, previewing all of the Owls’ 2024 opponents on the gridiron, including a once familiar foe that wasn’t on the Rice schedule last season: UAB. Longtime friend of the show Evan Dudley joins us to talk about what’s been going on with the Blazers since, the Trent Dilfer experience and more.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 174.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2024 UAB Football with Evan Dudley

  •  Year 1 under Trent Dilfer
  • Expectations and level setting for this new era of Blazers’ football
  • Jacob Zeno returns
  • Offensive playmakers
  • Defensive growth questions
  • How the Transfer Portal has impacted AAC programs
  • The outlook for the program moving forward
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football tops AAC in returning production

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The game isn’t played on paper, but ESPN’s returning production metrics are high on Rice Football in 2024.

In his final formal media availability of the season following, Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren interjected a ray of hope after a frustrating result, a bowl game loss to Texas State. “This is a really good football team coming back,” he said, projecting hope for 2024, and hopefully beyond.

Several months later, the numbers are in. According to ESPN’s returning production estimates, Rice football returns the highest percentage of their production out of any team in the AAC in 2024.

Bill Connelly, who compiles the metric for ESPN, estimates the Owls return 81 percent of their production from the 2023 team that won six games and made a second consecutive bowl game appearance.

That number dips a bit to 73 percent on offense but skyrockets to 89 percent on defense. In fact, no team in the nation projects to return more on defense than Rice. The Owls have lost De’Braylon Carroll and Tre’shon Devones from last year’s unit, but the rest of the defensive cupboard is fully stocked.

With a stacked defense and plenty of returning pieces on offense, Rice is positioned as well as it has been in quite some time to take another step. Rice and USF are the only AAC team in the top 20, nationally in returning production. The Owls’ biggest challenge will be replacing impact players on offense — JT Daniels, Luke McCaffrey and Clay Servin. If Rice can do that, 2024 has the makings of a special season on South Main.

One other interesting tidbit… Connelly notes this on Twitter:

Here are the full numbers:

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2024 Rice Football Roster by State

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The Rice football roster is built primarily with Texas players but still boasts athletes from coast to coast. Where are the 2024 Owls from?

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren committed to a national recruiting strategy when he took over the program prior to the 2018 season. Since then he’s stayed true to his word, searching the nation to build the best possible roster he can. The 2024 roster is expected to feature players from 21 different states (and the District of Colombia), up from 18 states a year ago.

The 2024 roster includes new arrivals from Phoenix, Arizona (EJ Warner), Alpine, Utah (Michael Daley) and Hinesburg, Vermont (Graham Walker), among others.

Here’s a visual breakdown of the 2024 roster upon the conclusion of spring practices, with the announced 2024 signing class and transfers included.

2024 Rice Football Roster by State

Not pictured: Hawaii (4)

Breaking down the roster

Of the projected 122 players, 69 (57 percent) hail from Texas. The next highest totals come to Rice from California (10) and Florida (six), noted college football recruiting hotbeds. After that, the pool diversifies quickly. New Jersey is the home to five Owls, four from Hawaii and five other states have three Rice players apiece. Rice has developed a sizable footprint in the northeast in addition to the traditional southern recruiting grounds.

Breaking down the incoming class

Of the incoming commits and signees, 67 percent are from Texas. That’s an uptick of 10 percentage points from the full scope of the roster. A sizable portion of those new players are walk-ons, typically arriving on campus from nearby.

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman commits to Owls

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The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up another offensive playmaker. Former Florida wideout Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman has committed to the Owls.

The last few weeks have been somewhat quiet on the Rice Football recruiting front because the Owls have had been carefully selecting what amounts to the finishing touches on their 2024 roster, taking what they perceive to be the most impactful players available to them from the Transfer Portal. They landed another high-upside option this week when they gained a commitment from former Florida wide receiver and Top 100 recruit Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman.

Chiaokhiao-Bowman was a highly regarded member of the 2022 recruiting class and considered a top 10 JUCO wide receiver recruit in the nation and a top 100 JUCO player overall. He had his fair share of suitors at that time before ultimately spending the spring at Independence CC and transferring to Florida in the fall. The Minneapolis, MN native got on the field as a true freshman with the Gators, operating as a receiver receiver and a special teams player. He caught seven passes for 138 yards, averaging a healthy 19.7 yards per catch.

Injuries slowed him this past season, limiting him to two games in a redshirt season. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining when he arrives on South Main. That’s a lot of football ahead for the 6-foot, 200-pound receiver who should provide an instant infusion of talent and further amp up the competition in the receiver room.

Chiaokhiao-Bowman joins Brown transfer Graham Walker and freshman Owen Carter as the most prominent additions for Rice football at the receiver position in this current recruiting cycle. That’s a lot of talent for a roster tasked with the arduous challenge of replacing Luke McCaffrey.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

As for Chiaokhiao-Bowman, the traits are there and jump off his film. He’s uber-athletic and already seems to run refined routes. He’s produced within an SEC offense and showcased ball skills and speed when given the opportunity. When it comes to Power 5 transfers, this is the kind of player worth betting on. He’ll be a great addition to the Owls’ pass catching stable that continues to grow.

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