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Rice Football 2022 Fall Camp Notebook 1: Depth Chart

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The first Rice football depth chart of the fall camp has been released and there’s a lot to discuss as the run-up to the season begins.

At the end of the day, depth charts aren’t nearly as important as we’d like to make the out to be. Coaches don’t spend as much time pouring over the particulars as one might initially think. The first Rice football depth chart of fall camp is no different. It’s a guideline and a starting point for what promises to be several weeks of interesting developments.

More: Rice Football Preseason Preview Series

To that end, it’s always instrumental to begin the exercise by looking at which faces are new to the roster, who isn’t listed at all and which notable changes have occurred since the last iteration was published. This update will go through all of those particulars and highlight a few key position battles to keep an eye on as Rice football opens fall camp.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2021 signees – Defense

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class has stocked with defensive talent at all three levels from a rangy secondary to powerful additions in the front seven.

Rice signed 18 players on the first day of the Early Signing Period. Of their new additions, 16 are current high school seniors. 11 of them play on the defensive side of the ball, the focal point of this update. Subscribers can check out this position by position breakdown of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class.

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Defensive Line (4) – Cal Varner, Jalen Hargrove, Elroyal Morris, Blake Boenisch
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Rice Football Recruiting: 5 Takeaways from 2021 Early Signing Period

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The first members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class signed this week, setting the stage for an exciting future at South Main.

The ink is starting to dry on the first day of the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is off to a great start. Rice signed 18 players, representing the majority of their scholarship additions to their 2021 class.

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This class isn’t done yet — there are still a few more weeks before National Signing Day in February — but as it currently stands, here are a few immediate reactions from a group that could end up being pretty special for the Owls.

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1. Ratings boost

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 Early Signing Period Live Blog

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The majority of the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class will become signees during the early signing period. Follow all the action here.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of all college football programs and Rice is not different. The Owls have brought in a tremendous amount of talent under Mike Bloomgren so far and this week will continue that trend. This live tracker will follow all the latest news and updates through the week, with some notes along the way on the class as it is finalized. If you’re not a subscriber yet, here’s your chance.

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Which newcomers will make sizable impacts like Khalan Griffin, Gabe Taylor and others did this year? This class has plenty of talent which could find its way to the field soon.

Now, let’s dig into the latest from the Early Signing Period, below.

Updates

3:43 p.m.

Closing thoughts: Rice adds for the present and future with talented 2021 class

Rice Football Recruiting: Owls move from “needs” to “wants” with 2021 class

12:17 p.m.

Wide receiver MJ Singleton is the only scholarship commit not to sign today. He told me earlier in the week he’d be signing in February. That appears to still be the case, but we’ll follow up on him soon. With that, Rice has announced the remainder of their 2021 class.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren will meet with the media at 1:00 p.m. today, then we’ll have some further remarks to share with everyone.

9:53 a.m.

And one from the West Coast. Offensive lineman Faaeanuu Pepe has sent in his letter of intent.

7:42 a.m.

Two more in the trenches. Offensive lineman John Long and defensive lineman Elroyal Morris have signed.

7:39 a.m.

The entire linebacking corps is now in. Kenny Seymour has signed with Rice.

7:37 a.m.

Defensive lineman Blake Boenisch makes it six signees from Texas thus far.

7:29 a.m.

Another Katy product has inked with the Owls, defensive end Cal Varner is in. Right after him, tight end Jaggar Hebeisen‘s signature comes in, as well as another Alabama product, wide receiver Jayden Folmar.

7:26 a.m.

Another from Alabama, this time its wide receiver Peyton Stevenson.

7:18 a.m.

Just picked up a wave of Texas signees: linebackers Aidan Siano and DJ Arkansas as well as offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa are all in.

7:07 a.m.

Make that two from the Yellowhammer state. Fellow safety Marcus Williams has also signed.

7:05 a.m.

The first of a sizable Alabama contingent is on board. Safety Joshua Williams has signed.

6:40 a.m.

A quick reminder, recruits can sign at 7:00 a.m. local time, so the bulk of the Texas and Alabama commits should start getting finalized in the next hour or so.

6:25 a.m.

Defensive lineman Jalen Hargrove is in. That should wrap up the early morning east coast contingent.

6:14 a.m.

That’s two, and this one is a big one. Rice has its quarterback in the boat. Shawqi Itraish has signed.

6:08 a.m.

The first signature is in! Corner  Jonathan “Jojo” Jean is officially an Owl.

5:47 a.m.

Good morning folks. We’ll be posting updates here throughout the morning as players sign as well as updated the recruiting tracker. Should be a good day.

Tuesday night

The majority of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is in the boat prior to the beginning of the Early Signing Period. In most typical years, we’d have a firmer timetable of who is putting pen to paper when, but COVID-19 has impacted some of the traditional ceremonies. Players are eligible to fax in their signatures starting at 7:00 a.m. local time.

Rice has the No. 4 class entering Wednesday morning. From a rating perspective, the Owls are on track to surpass last seasons’ average rating, the highest ever from a Rice recruiting class.

Make sure to stay tuned on Twitter and follow our live blog here during the day for updates. Get the latest list of the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting commits by clicking the tracker below.

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2021 DE Cal Varner commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added one more key piece before the early signing period. Defensive end Cal Varner has committed to the Owls.

It’s been a good year on the recruiting front for the Owls. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class already ranks inside the top five in the conference and it keeps getting better and better. Now the Owls have picked up a commitment from a local pass rusher. Defensive end Cal Varner from Katy High School has committed to Rice.

Under head coach Mike Bloomgren, Rice has stretched its recruiting net from coast to coast. At the same time, they’ve remained committed to home-grown talent. Varner is the third Houston product in the class and the second commitment from Katy, following Cinco Ranh offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa.

In October, Rice became the first FBS school to offer Varner a scholarship. After Rice moved first, SFA, HBU and Army extended Varner offers. Getting out in front, as Rice often tends to do, paid dividends in this race. Varner has become the newest Owl added to the fold with the early signing period days away.

Fellow defensive line commits Jalen Hargrove (6-foot-4, 305 pounds), Elroyal Morris (6-foot-2, 270) and Blake Boenisch (6-foot-3, 300) are going to hold down the interior. Varner (6-foot-4, 225) adds some finesse and quickness off the edge. It’s a great pickup for Rice that rounds out an already hefty haul.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Varner possesses an impressive combination of awareness and focus. He has a knack for knowing where the ball carrier is at all times and directing his path in that direction, regardless of who is attempting to block him. He has the speed and smarts to sniff out screens and finishes his plays. Rice needs playmakers on this side of the ball and Varner has the potential to develop into just that.

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