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Rice Football 2019: Two Owls enter Transfer Portal

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Following the end of the 2019 season, two Rice football players have entered the Transfer Portal: linebacker Anthony Ekpe and offensive tackle Uzoma Osuji.

Attrition may have found its way to South Main. Rice fared well in the transfer shuffle last year, swapping out two presumed starters (Roe Wilkins and Zach Abercumbia) for a half dozen impact players like Brad Rozner, Naeem Smith and a trio of offensive lineman.

The first Owls to enter the portal this season are linebacker Anthony Ekpe and offensive tackle Uzoma Osuji.

Ekpe led the team with six sacks last season but injuries hindered his impact in 2019. He appeared in eight games, registering 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The majority of that production came early in the season — he tallied 17 of his tackles in the Owls’ first two games. Kenneth Orji plated well in his stead, finishing with 40 tackles, fifth most among members of the front seven.

Osuji started the first six games of the 2018 season before injuries and the emergence of Clay Servin pushed him into more of a reserve role. This year Servin was locked in at the left tackle spot. Incoming transfer Justin Gooseberry manned the right side of line. Osuji was the odd man out, seeing action primarily as a backup in nine games.

Both players were wanted and expected to be a part of next year’s team, per a source. Ekpe projected to be heavily involved, if not a starter on the Rice defense. Osuji would have been in the mix for playing time at the right tackle spot, but likely would have had to beat out a new wave of players at his position. They are the only two Rice football players in the portal at this time. The Owls would certainly love to have both back in the fold in 2020.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 21 – The Roosties and 2019 Rice Football Season Review

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The 2019 Rice Football is complete. Carter and Matthew look back at the year and hand out The Roosties, season-long superlatives for top players and plays.

It’s been a wild ride, but the 2019 Rice Football season has reached its conclusion. In addition to the more conventional awards — Team MVP, Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, etc — we’ve taken some creative liberties with these awards.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 21 below.

Episode 21 Notes

  • The Roost Postseason Survey — Thank you to all who have followed the podcast or the website this season. The journey has been a fun one and we’ve been glad to be here every step of the way. But we want to get better, too. Let us know what you liked and what you didn’t in this brief survey. Thanks!
  • Rice Football end of season thoughts —  Before getting to the fun, Carter and Matthew give their parting thoughts on the 2019 season. The offense had moments but was a bit underwhelming compared to preseason expectations. On the other hand, the defense had a year better than just about everyone’s expectations. On the whole, things are headed in the right direction. The tone of the offseason should once again be optimistic.
  • The Roosties
    • Favorite Play
    • Player You Were Most Wrong About
    • Most Improved Unit
    • Play/Game You Most Want to Redo
    • Player You’ll Miss the Most
    • Out of Nowhere Star
    • Most Valuable Transfer
    • Best Block
    • Most Dominant Game
    • Player You’re Most Looking Forward to in 2020

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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Rice Football 2019 Defensive Player of the Year: Treshawn Chamberlain

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The most unique positions on the Owls’ depth chart belongs to Treshawn Chamberlain. The starting viper is the Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year.

You won’t find “viper” etched on most college depth charts. Not only does Rice football employ the versatile position, but they’ve also found the perfect man for the job. 2019 Rice Football Defensive Player of the Year Treshawn Chamberlain excelled at the spot this season.

Rice defensive coordinator Brian Smith adapted the Viper position after working under Don Brown at Michigan. At its core, the position solves a problem that has been forced upon defenses in the modern era of spread offenses. How do you prepare for the pass and stop the run at the same time? Short answer: find a guy who can do both. Players like that don’t grow on trees, making finding someone with that skillset a challenge in itself.

In his role, Chamberlain has to wear multiple hats. Like the linebackers, he has to feel comfortable playing near to the line of scrimmage. At the same time, he must be prepared to drop back and cover a pass catcher. Given where he lines up on the field, that requires the speed to keep up with shifty players in the slot. Whereas some players have similar responsibilities from down to down, Chamberlain’s assignments might yo-yo back and forth within the span of a single possession.

That’s a tall order, but the expectations were clear from the start. “He brings a physical presence to the defense and [we’re] looking for some big things from him,” Smith said of Chamberlain prior to the beginning of the season. Smith knew the secondary wasn’t going to be able to make the jump it needed to without improved play across the board. Chamberlain was to serve as the linchpin, bridging the gap between the secondary and the front seven.

The specialized position came with a learning curve. Chamberlain didn’t start his first game until midway through the 2018 season. Once he did, he became a mainstay in the defensive depth chart. He registered a career-best 10 tackles at Tiger Stadium against LSU last season, paving the way for his highly anticipated 2019 campaign.

From the hit heard ’round South Main to his 64-tackle year, Chamberlain delivered every outing of 2019. He tied Defensive Newcomer of the Year Naeem Smith for the team lead in interceptions (two) and was second on the team in passes defended (five). He was everywhere on the field at once, making plays throughout the secondary and at the line of scrimmage. Chamberlain was an enforcer.

Even with those impressive numbers, it’s hard to quantify the impact a player like Chamerblain had on this defense. The energy he brought to the defense this season went far beyond the x’s and o’s. Some players stay emotionally level from start to finish. Chamberlain is a guy that embraces the intensity of the game, playing with a passion, a swagger that gives him an edge.

“It’s what the game is all about, having fun,” he said, following arguably the biggest hit of his career in the Owls’ win over North Texas. The smile Chamberlain had on that day was reflective of the journey he’d taken to get to this point.

Prior to his commitment to Rice, Chamberlain was an under the radar defender tucked away in South Carolina only hoping for the chance to play division one football. He was a member of Mike Bloomgren’s inaugural signing class. That got his foot in the door. The rest has been up to him and the results have been tremendous.

Call him a safety. Call him a linebacker. List his name anywhere you want to on the depth chart. Chamberlain is a difference-maker. Rice football wouldn’t be the same without him.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls ramping up as Early Signing Period nears

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is coming together. The Owls added two commitments this week and are in pursuit of several additional targets.

December marks the busiest weeks of the recruiting calendar. The Owls paid visits to nearly every member of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class over the past week while simultaneously preparing to host additional waves of new recruits.

Rice Football Recruiting

Entering the weekend, every member of the 2020 class was a high school senior. With football seasons done and school year’s wrapping up, several potential transfer targets made their way to Houston. Rice walked away with two commitments from transfers — JUCO quarterback TJ McMahon and former Colgate offensive tackle Jovaun Woolford. Several other players were impressed by what they saw from the Owls.

Names to Know

OL – Witt Mitchum

Near the top of the list of outstanding targets is Tennessee offensive tackle Witt Mitchum. Rice offered Mitchum in November. Since then he’s picked up offers from Georgia Southern, UConn, Kansas State and Kansas. His recruitment is blowing up, but Rice is hanging in with him for the long haul. Mitchum is originally from San Antonio and those Texas ties might help the Owls in this fight.

OL – Mike Leone

Leone has been a priority for a while now, staying in close communication with the staff despite being tucked away in New Jersey. He’s coming down to Texas for a visit, skipping over opportunities much closer to home to come to South Main. Building the offensive line pipeline is crucial for this program, making the importance of Leone’s visit tremendous.

OL – Adam Sheriff

If the addition of Woolford earlier this week didn’t make it abundantly clear, Rice will always be on the market for experienced production on the offensive line. Sheriff spent last season at Butler Community College and has three years of remaining eligibility. He’s being courted by a few other C-USA schools like North Texas and Western Kentucky.

What’s Next?

In addition to some new targets, Rice will have the majority of their non-transfer commits on campus this coming weekend. Most of the local commits have been back for a few games during the year, but the out-of-state additions have had fewer chances to get back to campus. Despite the distance, the class has remained close. They’re looking forward to all getting back together.

As of right now, I expect Rice to sign at least a dozen, if not more, of their current commits during the Early Signing Period, which starts on Wednesday, Dec. 18. That will leave a handful of additional spots to lock down prior to National Signing Day in February, similar to how the team filled out their 2019 class a year ago.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Grad transfer OT Jovaun Woolford commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has added a big grad transfer target up front. Colgate offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford has committed to the Owls.

The Rice football offensive line was completely retooled entering the 2019 season. The Owls brought in three grad transfers: Brian Chaffin (Stanford), Nick Leverett (North Carolina Central) and Justin Gooseberry (Ouachita Baptist).

All three of those new additions are out of eligibility, and although players like walk-on Isaac Klarkowski have emerged, bringing in a veteran presence in the trenches was a focal point of the Owls’ recruiting efforts in the 2020 cycle. Head coach Mike Bloomgren’s background with offensive lines continues to pay dividends.

Rice Football Recruiting

Rice has answered that priority with its most recent commitment. Grad transfer Jovaun Woolford — a three-year starter from Colgate, who stands 6-foot-5, and weighs 300-pounds — will play his final season of eligibility at South Main.

A former high school wrestler, Woolford is going to bring an infusion of physicality and proven production to the Rice football offensive line. Woolford redshirted in 2015 and missed the majority of the 2018 season with an injury. His breakout year came between those campaigns, in 2017 when he started all 11 games at right tackle, earning first-team All-Patriot League honors.

Clay Servin will most likely hold down his spot on the left side of the line. The right tackle spot is open with the departure of Gooseberry, seemingly a natural spot for Woolford to slide into.

With Woolford committed, the Owls can be a bit more selective on other potential additions in the trenches. At the very least, Rice football has two quality offensive tackles to block for their deep stable of running backs. New additions beyond Woolford or not, this a big get for the Owls.

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