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NIL and Rice Athletics: Owls embrace new opportunities

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Name, Imagine and Likeness, or NIL as it’s referenced often in short, has swept across the country. What is it? And how does it impact Rice Athletics?

Effective July 1, NIL legislation in states across the country went into effect with additional guidance from the NCAA serving as a backdrop. As soon as the clock strike midnight, student athletes began to announce new ventures aimed at making a profit using their Name, Imagine and Likeness.

In a nutshell, new NIL policy allows athletes to make money off their own likeness. Much in the same way a Chemistry student could use knowledge from his or her studies to run a tutoring business on the side, now college athletes can monetize themselves in similar ways. Some have launched new businesses. Others have posted branded content on their social media pages. We touched on it briefly in this week’s episode of The Roost Podcast.

How does this impact Rice Athletics?

According to Texas State law, Rice athletes are now free to enter into these types of agreements insofar as they do not overlap with official team activities (practices, class, games, etc.), involve Rice branding or property, or serve as endorsements for drugs, alcohol, gambling or other elicit businesses. And most importantly, no athlete can receive compensation for their performance on the field.

Student athletes must disclose potential agreements to the compliance staff, with opportunities exceeding $5,000 requiring approval from the Athletic Director. So far, we’ve seen several take advantage of their newfound rights.

NIL and Rice Athletes

A whole host of Owls have signed up to offer personalized coaching on Vevole which describes itself as “a video coaching platform that powers personal achievement through accessible coaching.” Individual coaches can select their own rates. Current and former Rice affiliated coaches include:

  • Michael Whitehead, Golf
  • Kel Bordwine, Baseball
  • Justin Collins, Baseball
  • Benjamin Content, Baseball
  • Alex DeLeon, Baseball
  • Carly Graham, Volleyball
  • Anthonio Cruz, Baseball
  • Jimmy Comerota, Baseball
  • Connor Teykl, Baseball
  • Tamir Jackson, Basketball
  • Blair Lewis, Baseball
  • Noah Hutchins, Basketball

Others have announced partnerships with Yoke Gaming, a service that allows fans to “compete face-to-face” with their favorite athletes in online video games. Current Rice football players Khalan Griffin and Plae Wyatt have both posted announcements regarding their involvement on Instagram.

Current Rice basketball guard Quincy Olivari announced a partnership with Go Puff, a delivery service for food and drinks.

The most creative use of the new rules belongs to Rice offensive lineman Nick Wagman.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 76 – Top Rice Athletics Moments in recent history

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This week we take a moment to reflect on the last 10 or so years of Rice Athletics, sifting through some of the biggest moments and storylines.

It’s hard to boil down a program into singular moments, but some events and seasons do stand out more than others. On this week’s show we recalled some of the most impactful ones from recent Rice Athletics history. From football to volleyball, to everywhere in between we discussed and remembered some of the high points along the way. Did we miss anything? Follow us on Twitter or send us leave us a comment on Facebook to let us know.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 76.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping
    • Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on your platform of choice. Every little bit helps.
    • Please support us 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 our debriefing series on spring football, recruiting news and more.
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  • Moments 
    • 2013 – Football Conference Championship (def. Marshall)
    • 2014 – Football Hawaii Bowl win
    • 2019 – Women’s basketball Undefeated in C-USA, Make NCAA Tournament
    • 2019 – Volleyball upsets No. 3 Texas at home
    • 2020 – Football shuts out Marshall
    • 2021 – Women’s Basketball win WNIT
    • 2021 – Volleyball upsets No. 2 Texas in Austin
    • 2021 – Soccer Sweet 16 (Upset WVU)

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Which Rice Athletics team had the best 2020-201 season? All-American Q&A

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All-American Level subscribers on Patreon get access to a monthly Q&A with me. This update focuses on the best from Rice Athletics this season.

Q. With baseball missing the tournament and the Rice Athletics seasons more or less over, which team do you think had the best year?

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A. First off, stay tuned for the upcoming edition of The Roost Podcast where Carter and I talk through the most impressive moments and seasons from Rice Athletics in recent memory. We mentioned multiple teams from the 2020-2021 academic calendar that earned a nod of appreciation. But, best? Here’s how I’d parse out those accolades.

In all honesty, I might have to cheat just a little bit and break these up into categories.

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Rice Volleyball: COVID-19 ends Owls’ NCAA Tournament early

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Rice volleyball will not participate in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls’ opening-round game has been canceled because of COVID-19 protocols.

When the brackets were announced, Rice volleyball erupted with elation. Despite falling in the Conference USA Tournament Championship Game, the Owls’ body of work had earned them an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Months of hard work had paid off with the chance to compete for a national title.

And then late Wednesday night, that chance was unceremoniously ripped away.

A positive COVID-19 test within the Rice program forced the cancelation of the Owls’ opening-round game against N.C. A&T.  The Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee released a brief statement shortly after the scheduled start time of the match.

“The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee has declared the Rice-N.C. A&T match for Wednesday night at the CHI Health Center Omaha convention center a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. As a result, N.C. A&T will advance to the next round of the tournament. The NCAA and the committee regret that Rice student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to play in a tournament in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues we cannot provide further details.”

Rice arrived on Sunday for pre-match practices. Given a favorable draw and a head-to-head win over Texas already under their belt, the Owls had high expectations entering the week. Unfortunately, those hopes will not be realized this season.

Rice has since released a pair of statements:

“I’m heartbroken for our players, coaches, and support staff,” Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard said. “They’ve worked so hard this spring playing through difficult circumstances. Even with this terrible news, I want them to remember they’ve had a really terrific season. Rice is proud of who they are and what they’ve accomplished this year.”

“We are devastated that we won’t be able to compete in the NCAA Tournament this year,” AVCA South Region Coach of the Year Genny Volpe said. “This team deserved it, earning an at-large bid in a 48-team field and has so much to be proud of. It certainly is painful to see how much the team wanted to compete and to have to break the news to them that they couldn’t play. To compete in this tournament meant so much to all of us. Although this is a very sad moment, we know safety is the number one priority. We will be back stronger than ever. Rice Fight Never Dies.”

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Rice Volleyball: 2021 season begins in thrilling fashion

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Rice Volleyball rallied from an early deficit to win its season opener, showcasing the kind of resiliency they’ll need to succeed this year.

In many respects, it was surreal for coach Genny Volpe and Rice Volleyball to just be back in action at Tudor Fieldhouse against Houston on Saturday. When the first serve landed it broke a streak of 471 days since the Owls played a game that counted on their home court. The primary driver for such a lengthy delay, COVID-19, hasn’t gone away, but the Owls have worked incredibly hard to get to this point. They’re not going to quit now.

“It was great to be back in the gym and just great for the team to be able to compete,” Volpe said in the aftermath. “They were loving every second of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, they were loving the competition.”

The first stanza of the new season provided an immediate test from their crosstown rivals. Houston came out swinging, capitalizing on the Owls’ mistakes, winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-18. Rice hit just .053 and .103 in those frames, well under the .269 rate they hit at last season.

Volpe mentioned she spoke to the team for about a minute in the break between sets. “There was no magic stuff,” she admitted, praising the teams’ resiliency. “Volleyball. it’s a game of momentum, and we didn’t have it. And we found a way to grab it and never let go of it.”

From that point onward, Rice would settle in. They took the third set 25-22 and the fourth by a commanding 25-12 score. When push came to shove, the Cougars couldn’t match the Owls’ firepower in the final set. Rice prevailed 15-11, clinching the match with a kill from Nicole Lennon.

Lennon (18 kills) had a solid day, but Volpe herself called it a team effort, citing performances by Tia Grippo, Elizabeth Labue and Maddie Fowler. Freshman Nia McCardell, Danyle Courtley and Sahara Maruska shined, too.

“A lot of people played today,” Volpe said, “There’s a lot of people making contributions and I think, what I’m so excited about,  is how we have so many options.” Those options each made their marks, setting the stage for a promising season despite the challenges that loom ahead.

Rice will close January with one more game against Houston and a two-game set with SMU in Dallas. From there, it’s onto conference play. The Owls know it’s going to be a bumpy ride, but they’re committed to seeing it through. Expectations haven’t waivered. Volpe knows the Owls’ opponents will have to navigate through similar challenges.

Having the poise to push through the noise and stay ready, that’s what will separate this team from its challengers. “Once this whistle new and we started, it was natural, it really was,” Volpe said. And just like they had so many times before, Rice found a way to win.

📸 @LysakerPhotos
January 23, 2021 : during the match between the Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas. Rice pulls from behind 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2, 3-2 for the win. (Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics). Used with permission.
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