The source for Rice sports news

Rice Football Recruiting: QB Drew Devillier commits to Owls

By

The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class took off over the weekend including quarterback Drew Devillier, the newest of the Owls’ commits.

The camp circuit came to South Main this past weekend and the 2024 Rice football recruiting class benefited from the influx of talent onto campus. One key recruit wasn’t able to make it to camp, but didn’t miss out on the excitement. Quarterback Drew Devillier has committed to the Owls.

Devillier picked Rice over offers from Pitt, North Texas and others. His offer list was on the shorter side in part because as of a week previous, Devillier was committed to TCU to play baseball. He decommitted on June 12, announcing his intention to pursue a future in both baseball and football. Rice stepped up to the plate and won his services. Devillier plans to pursue both sports at Rice.

Devillier credited his relationship with offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo as crucial to his decision to pledge his future to the Owls, that and his comfort level with the offensive scheme.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Devillier has a cannon for an arm and can really sling the football, but it’s ability to create off-schedule that jumps out most on his film. Devillier told The Roost “[I] feel like I have the ability to make any throw on the field. I think I improvise on broken plays pretty well also.” That certainly shines through on tape.

Devillier is a threat with the football that can make defenses pay when they cheat too far to either extreme, either in coverage or at the line of scrimmage. He’s a big get for the Owls, who have secured their quarterback of the future in the early weeks of the summer as the 2024 class really starts to grow in earnest.

Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: RB Taji Atkins commits to Owls

By

The 2024 Rice Football recruiting class took off over the weekend with eight new additions. The first, running back Taji Atkins, has committed to the Owls.

The camp circuit came to South Main this past weekend and the 2024 Rice football recruiting class benefited from the influx of talent onto campus. Hundreds of campers came through and a host of them left with offers. Eight made their verbal pledges to the program. Running back Taji Atkins was the first to go public, leading the charge on this weekend’s recruiting boom.

Atkins had racked up a fairly lengthy offer list before the Westfield product made his pledge to the hometown team. He picked Rice over offers from Tulsa, North Texas, Texas State, Sam Houston, San Diego State, Navy, Utah State and others. Beating out multiple AAC peers and a few instate, FBS opponents is a positive mark for the Owls when it comes to Atkins’ recruitment.

On the field, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Atkins can do so many different things with the ball in his hands. He’s the kind of playmaker you get on campus as quickly as you can with the knowledge that he’ll find himself a place in the offense to make a difference soon enough.

As it stands, Atkins is the fourth member of the 2024 Rice Football recruiting class which will balloon past 10 members once all of this weekend’s commitments are announced. He’s the first running back in the fold and only the second high school running back the Owls’ have received a commitment from in the past four classes dating back through the 2021 class.

Update: Atkins decommitted from Rice in October but relationships with the Rice football recruiting staff remained in place. He hadn’t soured on the Owls, rather he wanted to test the waters elsewhere. Fortunately for all parties, Atkins has come full circle and repledged to Rice in mid-January.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Atkins is an offensive weapon, a human highlight reel. Every recruit has some splash plays they put on the front of their film, Atkins’ homerun plays seemed to play forever. He has speed but there are flashes of power and patience in his game too. And the vision he runs with helps amplify those traits as he moves. He’s a ton of fun to watch and will be an incredibly useful piece in the Owls’ offense.

Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football Recruiting: WR Arden Napier commits to Owls

By

The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class found another JUCO gem. Wide receiver Arden Lee Napier has committed to the Owls.

It’s been a JUCO summer for Rice football recruiting. With a trio of transfers already lined up from the junior college ranks, the Owls have added a fourth. Wide receiver Arden Lee Napier from Citrus College has committed to the Owls.

Originally from Houston, Napier played his high school ball at Episcopal in town before heading out west for school. After one season in the JUCO ranks he entered the Transfer Portal and ended up receiving interest from a half dozen schools, selecting Rice over McNeese State, among others.

In addition to being close to home, Napier told The Roost the roster and the staff helped him make his decision. “I felt like Rice was the best overall opportunity for me. It’s a great academic school, and great football program with coaches and players who all want the best for each other.”

Napier will have three years of eligibility remaining when he gets to campus giving the Owls some depth at a position with several veteran options already lined up. The long list of playmakers did not deter Napier, rather it was part of the Owls’ allure.

“Rice has a great quarterback room and great wide receiver room that are gonna connect for a lot of huge plays,” he said. “I’m ready to come compete to be a part of that this season.”

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

There’s a lot to like on the film with Napier. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver is a big target who moves fairly well considering his size. That’s a body type that has traditionally faired well in the Rice offense under head coach Mike Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo. Napier says he takes pride in his route running ability, something that does flash in his highlights below.

Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

The Roost Podcast | Ep 146 – ’23 Tulane Preview with Fear The Wave’s Kelly Comarda

By

The Roost Podcast continues its AAC previews. Up next: Kelly Comarda of the Fear The Wave previews Tulane football in 2023.

The last time Rice football and Tulane met regularly on the field, both programs were in very different places. The Green Wave weren’t conference championship caliber quite yet; it was the Owls that were piling up points and wins in those years. Now Rice is on the come up and Tulane is the team to beat. Kelly Comarda from Fear the Wave describes the transformation in this week’s episode.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 146.

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. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

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 2023 Tulane football with Kelly Comarda

  • How did Tulane pull off its magical 2022 season?
  • Has there ever been another Willie Fritz, a coach to win big so late in his career?
  • Do the Mean Green have the right pieces to make another run at an AAC title?
  • Where does NIL fit in Tulane’s journey to success?
  • Which pieces could be difference-makers on defense?
  • 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.

Recent Posts

Rice Baseball 2023: MLB Owls update – June 14

By

The 2023 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a relatively quiet week at the plate, scoring twice and delivering a key double in a Friday win over the Mariners. After being removed in the later innings last week, Rendon has started and finished in every game he’s played since June 9, including a 10-inning extra-inning win over the Rangers on Monday.

Through June 14, Rendon is hitting .256 with six extra-base hits, 21 walks and 18 strikeouts. His OPS is .694 and he’s collected 20 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Miami Marlins

Chargois made three appearances this week, sullied a bit by a tough outing against the White Sox. Called upon in the sixth inning, he was tagged with three earned runs on three hits in 0.2 innings and charged with his first blown save of the season. Chargois allowed two hits and one run across two innings in his other two appearances this week, combined.

Through June 14, Chargois has a 4.91 ERA with a 1.295 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Injured List

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

After an extended hiatus, Otto returned to the mound this week, beginning a rehab assignment with AAA Round Rock on Tuesday, his first time pitching in a live game setting this season. Otto through 36 pitches (26 strikes). With the recent news that Jacob deGrom is slated for Tommy John surgery, Otto could be back in the Rangers’ rotation for some time as soon as he’s cleared to return to the big leagues.

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

Recent Posts