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Rice Football: Tracking NFL Owls on pro rosters in 2019

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Several former Rice football stars who are currently playing at the next level. Here’s where the NFL Owls will suit up in 2019.

Nine former Rice football players were on NFL rosters in 2018. Four of those players are staying put with the same team this coming season. A few others have found new teams, while several are still on the hunt. Here’s where each of the Owls stands entering the 2019 season.

Active players

Calvin Anderson (Broncos) – Anderson was signed from the Jets practiced squad to the Broncos roster on Oct. 1 as first reported by The Roost.

Chris Boswell (Steelers)  – Signed through 2022 on a four-year, $16.8 million deal

Bryce Callahan (Broncos) – Formerly with the Bears, Callahan signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Broncos this offseason. His contract runs through 2021.

Christian Covington (Cowboys) – Formerly with the Texans, Covington signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.

Emmanuel Ellerbee (Seahawks) – Signed through 2019 on a one-year, $570,000 deal

Phillip Gaines (Texans) – After being released with an injury settlement by the Browns, Gaines signed a one-year, $805K deal with the Texans.

Vance McDonald (Steelers) –  Signed through 2021 on a three-year, $19.6 million deal

Andrew Sendejo (Vikings) – Formerly with Eagles, the former Viking was claimed by Minnesota on waivers following his release from the Eagles in Week 9. He’s back with the Vikings now.

Luke Willson (Seahawks) – Briefly with the Raiders, Willson signed a one-year, $805K deal with the Seahawks following Week 3 of the 2019 season.

Practice squad

Jack Fox (Lions) – Undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Fox signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s been on and off the Chiefs’ practice squad this season and had workouts elsewhere before signing with the Lions in November.

Free agents

Jordan Taylor – Formerly of the Broncos, Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Raiders before he was released during roster cutdowns at the end of the preseason.

Austin Walter Undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Walter signed with the Giants’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in Week 6. He was waived following the game.

**All contractual information sources from OverTheCap and SpotRac**

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Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 11 Roundup

Posted: November 18, 2024

Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 11. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Detroit Lions Jack […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 10 Roundup

Posted: November 11, 2024

Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 10. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Detroit Lions Jack […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 9 Roundup

Posted: November 4, 2024

Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 9. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Detroit Lions Jack […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 8 Roundup

Posted: October 29, 2024

Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 8. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Detroit Lions Jack […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Week 7 Roundup

Posted: October 21, 2024

Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 7. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Detroit Lions Jack […]

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Rice Football: Blaze Alldredge and Antonio Montero shine in spring practices

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Rice football might have found a position of strength on their defense after another strong showing from the linebackers in spring practice.

Spring practices continued on a windy Thursday afternoon at Rice Stadium. We’ve already hit on the lack of bodies available earlier in the week, but the guys who are on the field continue to make strides. Special teams and linebackers stood out on Thursday.

Linebackers

If there’s an early contender for strong position unit of the spring it might be the linebackers, at least the healthy ones. Ja’Quez Battley, Dylan James and Dylan Silcox have been sidelined with some seeing limited walkthroughs. The main rotation has consisted of Antonio Montero, Blaze Alldredge and Garrett Grammer.

Montero is instinctive and seeks out contact. He’s ready and willing to lay a blow on anyone with the football. The same goes for Alldredge who blew up a toss play six yards behind the line of scrimmage today, smothering the running back before he could turn and look up field. Grammer saw less playing time last fall, but has already made a strong case to see more of the field.

Position coach Scott Vestal called it “as good of a position as I’ve ever coached… through seven spring practices.” The caveat is his, but he might be on to something. Don’t be surprised if this trio becomes the backbone of a defense retooling the line and rotating in several new bodies in the secondary.

Special Teams

As it’s been throughout the duration of Mike Bloomgren’s time at Rice, special teams is woven through every practice. There hasn’t been much in the way of kickoff work yet, but the punt team got plenty of run on Thursday.

Beyond individual specialists, the punt coverage and return units look as crisp as ever. Special teams coordinator Drew  Svoboda said the team was “lightyears ahead of where we were a year ago,” praising the foundation laid by Pete Lembo in the fall.

Chris Barnes has a tall task, taking over for CUSA Special Team’s Player of the Year and Ray Guy Award Semifinalist Jack Fox, but early returns have been solid. He hasn’t booted the cover off the ball just yet, but he’s working on a variety of kicks and has the potential to keep the legacy of great kicking going at South Main.

Kickers Will Harrison and Nick McQuarry haven’t had the strongest spring, yet. They’ll be pushed in the fall by incoming 2019 signee Zach Hoban. For now, the kicking job remains up for grabs. Through it all, Svoboda credits snapper Cam Riddle as “the glue” that holds these units together.

Scattershooting

  • Quarterback Wiley Green had a few nice progressions during drills today where you could tell he worked his reads until he found the open man. The mental capacity he has for the offense will play a significant role in how well it functions. This was a good day for him.
  • Blaze Alldredge is tough as nails. He walked off the field for a breather, noticed he had a cut on his leg that was bleeding a bit, smirked and kept on walking.
  • D’Angelo Ellis was back at corner today. Once the receiving corps gets healthy that’s probably where he’ll stay.
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Rice Football Pro Day results and workout updates

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The Rice Football Pro Day was held on Monday, March 25 in front of scouts and NFL onlookers who flocked to Houston to see four Owls work out.

A 2019 roster laden with freshman and sophomores still produced a few players with professional football aspirations. Four of those now former Owls put their abilities to the test on Rice Football’s 2019 Pro Day. Punter Jack Fox, fullback Gio Gentosi, edge rusher Graysen Schantz and all-purpose back Austin Walter will participate in NFL Combine-style drills as well as on-field workouts

From my count, seven different NFL teams were in attendance: Jets, Panthers, Colts, Browns, Raiders, 49ers and Texans.

Jack Fox, Punter — 6-2 5/8, 213

Coming off a season in which he was nominated for Ray Guy Award, Fox attended the NFL Combine and the NFL Shrine Game this spring. Monday will mark his third opportunity to kick in front of NFL personnel in hopes of being selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Workout notes

Fox did a full array of drills: directional punting, distance punting and backed up in the endzone. He drilled some nice balls with a few hang times in the area of 4.8 seconds.

Highlights

 

 

 

Gio Gentosi, Fullback — 6-0 1/8, 239

Gentosi came to Rice in the fall of 2019 after graduating from UCLA. He saw sparse playing time for the Bruins before earning the starting fullback job with the Owls. He scored his first collegiate touchdown in his final game against Old Dominion. Gentosi did not participate in any on-field workouts.

 

 

Grayson Schantz, Defensive End — 6-2 5/8, 247

Schantz battled injuries throughout a lengthy college career which comes to an end following the 2019 season. He registered a season-high nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against UTEP.

Vertical 33
Broad 95

Workout notes

Schantz participated in just about every drill including a few as a pass catcher. He exhibited his power and burst well on the bag drills toward the later portion of the day.

Highlights

 

 

 

Austin Walter, Running back — 5-6 7/8, 194

At one point the national leader in All-Purpose yardage, Walter became one of the Owls’ most versatile weapons on offense in 2019. He raised some eyebrows with a 4.49 40-yard dash time at the NFL Regional Combine in mid-March.

Vertical 31
Broad 89
Bench 15

Workout notes

Walter had a few hiccups on his starts in the 40-yard dash and shuttle drills. Once he settled in he posted times of 4.54 in the 40 and 6.75 in the three cone drill. The pass catching drills are where he shined the brightest, including a nice acrobatic catch on a ball throw with a bit too much juice over the middle. He hauled in everything and moved quickly in the agility drills.

Highlights

 

 

What’s next?

The NFL Draft runs from April 25 to April 27. It goes without saying the NFL is the primary goal for all college football players, but there are only so many roster spots to go around. There will be opportunities in the newly formed Alliance of American Football as well as the coming XFL reboot. Those who don’t stick in the NFL or don’t receive a camp invite could have further opportunities.

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Pete Lembo hired by Memphis

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Pete Lembo will be named the special teams coordinator at Memphis, opening up a vacancy on the Rice football coaching staff.

The Roost can confirm reports that assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo is off to Memphis where he’ll join Mike Norvell’s staff.

After head coaching stints at Lehigh, Elon and Ball State, Lembo served as the special teams coordinator at Maryland for two years prior to his arrival at South Main. In one brief season with the Owls, Lembo produced a special teams unit that ranked as one of the best units in the nation across a variety of aspects.

The Rice offense and defense each had their ups and downs last season, but the special teams stayed consistently strong from start to finish. Rice was led by Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year, Jack Fox, who will pursue opportunities in the NFL this spring. Hayden Tobola finished third in the nation in field goal percentage (.909). Austin Walter finished eighth in kick off return average (27.3).

The special teams ranked 17th in the nation in overall efficiency, by far the best finish of the Owls’ three phases. Lembo’s handiwork made a positive impact on the totality of the special teams program, which ranked 114th in efficiency the year prior to Lembo’s arrival.

Expect head coach Mike Bloomgren and his staff to work quickly to fill the opening. National Signing Day is only a few weeks away, ideally, the Owls’ staff will be back at full strength before its time to finalize their 2019 class.

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Breaking down the 2019 offensive signees

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The 2019 Rice Football signed 17 players during the early signing period including seven on offense and one on special teams. Here’s a further breakdown of the offensive signees.

Offensive line (3) – Hunter Jones, Nick Leverett, Regan Riddle

As long as Mike Bloomgren is in charge at South Main, offensive lineman are going to be a priority. Winning in the trenches is important for this offense so bringing in a high level of talent up front will be a focus of each successive recruiting cycle.

Rice brought in three different offensive lineman, each with a unique set of skills. Nick Leverett, a grad transfer from NC State, will slide into one of the starting tackle positions immediately. He played for offensive coordinator Jerry Mack at NC Central and was described by Bloomgren as someone with “NFL potential.”

Jones and Riddle profile as interior pieces, both of which with plenty of athleticism and ability. Jones was a team MVP in high school and Riddle led a line for a potent Highland Park offense which just won their third straight state championship this year.

Running back (1) – Jawan King

The graduation of Austin Walter plus the transfer of Emmanuel Esukpa presents a much thinner depth chart at the running back position for the Owls in 2019. Juma Otoviano and Aston Walter, who is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, will be the primary backs, but adding talent to this group was still important.

Jawan King isn’t just more talent; he has the potential to be special. King isn’t afraid to initiate contact and run through tackles, and he’s also a tremendous pass catcher with quick acceleration. It’s months before he’ll step foot on the practice field for Rice, but he’s already one of the best ambassadors for the culture coach Bloomgren is working to instill: high-quality football players who are getting a high-quality education.

Tight end (1) – Jack Bradley

There was limited involvement from the tight end position in year one under Mike Bloomgren, but growth should be expected going forward. The Owls utilized this position more for blocking than pass catching, but new addition Jack Bradley can do both. He’s 6-foot-5, 230-pounds and isn’t afraid to get physical at the point of attack. Yet another weapon for a developing offense.

Wide receiver (2) – Bradley Rozner, Zane Knipe

This duo brings complementary skill sets to the table. Zane Knipe is a shifty slot receiver who can stretch the field and take the top off the defense. Adding speed to both sides of the ball was a focus of this class and Knipe will be one of the fastest players on this team in 2019.

Bradley Rozner is the other side of the coin. Rozner led JUCO in receiving touchdowns last year with 13, the same number of receiving scores totaled by the entire Rice offense in 2018. He’s big (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) and physical. Offensive coordinator Jerry Mack called him “explosive” and a key piece in building an even better receiving corps.

Quarterback (o)

The Owls lost their lone quarterback commitment on the first morning of the early signing period. Trevor Bycznski backed out at the 11th hour, leaving the staff with a blank at the position in December. They’re currently evaluating their options — expect Rice to target one more signal caller before National Signing Day in February.

Coach Mack was clear they weren’t going to start throwing out offers at random. “We’re going to take the right person. We want people that want to be here,” he said, before adding, “We want people that are talented enough to be elite players at this level.”

Specialists (1) – Zach Hoban

Rice faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge on special teams next year. They’ll have to find a way to replace to senior specialists with both Jack Fox and Hayden Tobola playing their last games for the Owls in 2018. Zach Hoban could ease the pain from the place kicking perspective.

Hogan has incredible range, recently kicking a 61-yard field goal in Dallas Cowboy Stadium following. The Owls struggled as a unit from deep range, adding someone with that much power is a big win for special teams coach Pete Lembo.

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