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How will new NCAA testing requirements impact Rice Football? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on our Patreon page get access to a monthly Q&A with me. The August edition focuses on new NCAA testing requirements.

Q. How will the NCAA’s relaxed eligiblity standards impact Rice football during this recruiting cycle? Are there any players on the fringes of eligiblity the Owls will be able to sign that they might not have been able to otherwise?

A. This is a timely topic and one which might generate some buzz when the calendar when players starting signing with schools in December. For those who hadn’t seen the news, the NCAA announced earlier this month they would waive standardized testing requires for student-athletes enrolling in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Their statement was somewhat lengthy, but here’s the important snippet:

“Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements.”

GPA requirements would still be in place, as well as qualifications for core classes. But regardless of the level of relief instituted by the NCAA, the requirements at Rice will always be the higher hurdle for potential recruits to clear.

The academic standards at Rice are rigorous. Even if omitting a test score would be enough to get them into school, staying in school and bearing the workload of a Rice football student-athlete is non-negotiable. Head coach Mike Bloomgren always says he’s looking for young men that want the “best of both worlds”.

For those reasons, Rice isn’t likely to cut any corners and “reach” for an athlete that might not have gotten in during a non-pandemic recruiting cycle. Rice is going to continue to stick to their recruiting playbook and recruit the players that fit their vision for this program, and that means they’ve got to measure up in the classroom as well as on the football field.

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Rice Football: Outlook on 2020 schedule

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The 2020 Rice Football schedule remains in flux with the season scheduled to begin sometime over the course of the next several weeks.

Last week, Rice Football was slated to begin its 2020 season against Lamar. On Friday that game was canceled. The Rice game was the only remaining opponent on Lamar’s fall athletic calendar, adding to the pressure to cancel on Lamar’s side of things.

Rice had the chance to postpone or cancel the game two weeks ago when they delayed the start of their season. At that time, they chose not to. Aligning their start date with the SEC and allowing for more time was a strategic decision. Rice will have the benefit of watching other conferences go first and seeing how their seasons progress.

How the rest of the schedule plays out remains to be seen. Rice was earnest in their desire to reschedule both of their postponed games, including a contest against Army and the Bayou Bucket against Houston.

Army is open on Sept. 26, but the Black Knights released an updated 11-game schedule on Monday without the Owls on it. If a game between the two schools were to be announced, that would have been the time to do so.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our 2020 Rice Football offense and defense previews

The omission of Rice from that schedule along with other conversations I’ve had over the past week indicates Rice won’t replace the open date from the Lamar cancellation with Army. Instead, Rice will plan to start its season on Oct. 3, adding another week of buffer to the front end of the schedule.

From there, it’s possible things could change further still.

Rice is slated to play Marshall on Oct. 3, but there remains some optimism Conference USA could assist in scheduling should more flexibility be needed.

If this were a traditional year, Conference USA would have released their television schedule months ago. The conference still hasn’t announced tv dates, in part, to preserve some wiggle room should it be required. The hope on that front would be that Rice could find a time and get Houston back on the schedule this year.

The Cougars play BYU during the Owls current bye week, but could be slotted into another should the right opportunities arrive.

The situation remains fluid. At this time, Rice has eight conference games on their schedule. There is a small chance schedules will align to allow Rice to play Houston in 2020. A game against Army doesn’t appear to be in the cards, at least not as the Owls opener. Playing the remaining eight games as-is would be the most likely scenario. Of course, that’s assuming any football is played this fall at all.

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Rice Football: Breaking down the impact of the Tyrae Thornton transfer

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Rice Football starting corner Tyrae Thornton has entered the Transfer Portal. How will his absence impact the Owls in 2020 and beyond?

It’s been an unusual offseason in more ways than one for Rice football, but unexpected attrition has not been a problem for the Owls so far. Rice lost linebacker Anthony Ekpe to transfer, but his starting job had already been overtaken by Kenneth Orji. Like there is with every team, the roster went through a bit more churn, but on the whole, Rice wasn’t losing anyone they hadn’t previously anticipated losing.

Then starting corner Tyrae Thornton entered the Transfer Portal this week. Prior to Thornton’s decision, the most notable departure of the summer was the loss of scout team quarterback Parker Towns. He was omitted from the preseason roster released in early August. Thornton was expected to line up opposite Tre’shon Devones. Now Rice will have to adjust.

The Depth Chart Impact

Corner and the interior of the defensive line were thin spots on the roster prior to Thornton’s announcement. Planning for a two-deep without him is doable, but the margin for error (or injury) beyond that is dicey.

Andrew Bird stands to benefit with the largest increase in playing time right away. His size (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) sets him apart from the rest of the unit. He also has the benefit of being one of the more experienced returners.

I also think Jason White is going to get some more time on the outside. He started against Southern Miss last year and held his own. Don’t let his smaller stature (5-foot-8, 158 pounds) fool you. He’ll be in the mix and could have a slight edge in coverage over Bird. This would be an excellent battle to watch in fall camp had Rice started it yet.

Being able to utilize Blaze Alldredge more in coverage will be another added wrinkle to keep an eye on. Beyond those more seasoned commodities, Rice could turn to a freshman for key minutes.

Devones proved he was the most talented man for the job and won a starting job midway through last season. I wouldn’t bet against the younger contingent with guys like Sean Fresch, Lamont Narcisse and Jordan Dunbar. We’ll learn a lot about how this position will play out if/when fall camp begins.

The Roster Impact

The continuity Rice football had built this season cannot be understated. Southern Miss saw five players opt out of the 2020 season this week. Defensive end Jacques Turner, linebacker Racheem Boothe and receiver Jaylond Adams will all not play this season. Turner and Boothe have entered the Transfer Portal.

FAU, Western Kentucky, Marshall have all lost expected starting quarterback during the offseason. A slew of other programs have seen marquee players leave for one reason or another.

It’s foolish to write off the departure of Thornton as “no big deal”. Losing a starting-caliber player at any position this close to the start of the season is a tough pill to swallow.

For better or worse, it sets Rice up to hit the restart at the position a year in advance. A redshirt junior, Thornton wasn’t going to be in the long term plans for this defense. He very well might have kept the starting job had he returned next season as well, but there’s no promises he would have held off the wave of incoming players.

At best, Thornton’s absence allows for an early transition and Rice is forced only to deal with the growing pains of a younger player. At worst, the Owls’ secondary will be exposed from a weak link uncovered in the final weeks before the games begin. I lean closer toward the former.

The loss is real, but Rice is going to be okay in the long run, particularly if the season is delayed or canceled and Thronton’s replacements get an extended audition and practice in the scheme with the first team.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New 2021 offers and mid-August update

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Three new offers for the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class went out this week. Who are they and where do the Owls stand?

We’re roughly four months away from the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is coming along nicely. The Owls picked up their 10th commitment on the final day of July, securing the pledge of safety Joshua Williams.

At that time Rice had offered 56 players. 10 were committed to Rice and 25 were committed elsewhere. Of the 18 uncommitted offers, the Owls are still in the mix in roughly half of those recruitments. It made sense that we’d see a few additional offers come out in August. Rice handed out three in the first week of the new month.

FB Cade Anders – Tifton, GA

Fullbacks don’t grow on trees, so Rice has to be particularly judicious when selecting the right players for such an important position in their offense. Incoming freshman Brian Hibbard is the first freshmen the current staff recruited specifically to play fullback. Anders is the second, and Rice is interested enough to throw their hat in the ring of a committed recruit.

Anders committed to Army on July 31st, the same day Rice added Joshua Williams to the fold. He also holds offers from Charlotte, Georgia Southern, South Alabama and others.

He characterized his commitment to Army as “strong”, stemming primarily from the opportunities the academy presented after football rather than the desire for military service itself. Rice doesn’t offer many committed players. The Owls’ interest, and Anders’ willingness to listen to their overtures, are each significant.

WR MJ Singleton – Lubbock, TX

Getting faster has been a priority for Rice in each of their most recent recruiting classes. We should be able to see the fruits of those efforts the next time the Owls take the field. In the meantime, Rice wants to keep adding to the fold. Lubbock, TX wideout MJ Singleton matches the profile.

Singleton is a track guy that can take the top off the defense. He’s a sprinter who specializes in the 100m and 200m dash. On the football field, the speed makes him a versatile offensive weapon. Cole Kirkpatrick is the other wideout to watch on the Owls’ board right now.

OL Graham Keating – Murfreesboro, TN

Rice has two offensive linemen committed in the 2021 class so far: Ethan Onianwa and Faaeanuu Pepe. They’ll be looking to add at least one more in this cycle, preferably someone who can bolster their depth on the interior.  Graham Keating could be that answer.

He can play tackle, but Rice likes his versatility and believes he’d be a great fit at guard as well. They’re recruiting him out of Murfreesboro, TN, home of Conference USA peer Middle Tennessee. Stealing him away from a conference opponent would be an added boost.

Where #FlightSchool21 stands

247 Sports has the 2021 Rice Football class ranked fourth in Conference USA. Nine of their 10 commits have three star ratings. Joshua Williams has not yet been rated.

Bloomgren’s staff has a pretty strong track record of identifying talent before they get ratings. If Williams does get bumped up to a three star, the Owls will be neck and neck with North Texas for that No. 3 spot. The Mean Green have 11 commits to the Owls’ 10. UTSA is second with 16 commits. FAU leads the way with 27.

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Rice Football: 2020 Preseason roster notes and changes

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The summer is over and the 2020 Rice football season is, allegedly, approaching. Here’s a quick rundown of the preseason roster and a few interesting tidbits and notes.

Rice football released its preseason roster this week, featuring 109 players. If you haven’t grabbed a copy of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview, be sure you do soon. It has position by position and player by player breakdowns. Check out a sample here.

The team had the option to begin fall camp on Wednesday. Rice has not yet indicated when it will begin. The team is currently holding walkthroughs. The majority of schools who kick off their season on Saturday of Week 1 can open camp on Friday.

As for the roster itself, here were a few observations worth mentioning.

No startling omissions

First, as most significant, all of the Owls’ key pieces are returning. It’s not uncommon for players to move on from teams for various reasons. It happens everywhere. Rice wasn’t hit hard by outgoing transfers this summer, nor were any key players dismissed. There were 110 players on the roster this spring compared to 109 currently. The lone subtraction was former backup quarterback Parker Towns, who did not appear in any games for the Owls last year and had been moved to wide receiver this spring.

There’s a stark contrast between the Owls’ situation and that of other C-USA teams like Marshall and FAU, both of which unexpectedly lost established starting quarterbacks in the past month.

Rice has size in the offensive trenches

Rice had one player on the offensive line that weighed at least 295 entering the 2019 season, grad transfer Nick Leverett. He’s in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right now.

The 2020 offensive line is significantly bigger. Seven offensive lineman enter camp at or above that 295 pound mark. That includes projected starting center Isaac Klarkowski (299), starting guards Shea Baker (302) and Cole Garcia (296) as well as probably starting tackle Jovaun Woolford. The final likely starter on the line, left tackle Clay Servin, checks in at 292.

The Rice starting o-line will come close to 1,500 combined pounds this season. Some of those, like Woolford, have put on a good portion of that weight during the extended offseason. They’re going to push some folks around.

Still room for non-roster additions

The Owls have been adding to their roster all summer. From former Richmond tight end Andrew Tsangeos to former Princeton long snapper Chris Sayan, Rice is still in the market for the right depth pieces. We might not see any massive last-second additions, but there could be a few more pieces.

One such newcomer is CJ McCord, the brother of current Rice corner Miles McCord. He was included on a graphic tweeted out by a few of the Rice wideouts. Standing 6-foot-1, CJ is transferring from Yale and will bring depth the receiving corps. He caught three passes at Yale.

Senior-led, but not senior heavy

There are 13 players on the 109 man roster listed as redshirt seniors, seniors or grad transfers. That includes Collin Riccitelli whom the staff expects to regain an additional year of eligibility. Here are the other 12:

Definite starter
  • Blaze Alldredge, LB
  • Elijah Garcia, DL
  • Jordan Myers, TE
  • George Nyakwol, Saf
  • Naeem Smith, Saf
  • Austin Trammell, WR
Possible starter / key contributor
  • Mike Collins, QB
  • Jovaun Woolford, OL
  • Garrett Grammer, LB
  • JaVante Hubbard, DL
Bench / backup
  • Andrew Tsangeos, TE
  • Collin Whitaker, CB

As you can see, the most experienced players Rice has are going to be playing a lot of snaps for the team this year. But the next level is just as promising. Although I wouldn’t call this a “young” team, there’s plenty of underclassmen and juniors on the roster this year who will see meaningful reps as the team prepares for a more typical season in 2021.

27 freshmen

Between walk ons and scholarship players, Rice is adding 27 freshmen to the roster for the fall. Bringing in such large classes is what’s enabled Mike Bloomgren and his staff to build the roster back to the appropriate amount of depth. He won’t be having to cancel spring practices because he ran out of players like he had to do on occasion during his first year on campus.

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