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Rice Football: Khalan Griffin shines, offense sparks in first fall scrimmage

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The first full scrimmage of the 2020 Rice Football fall camp is in the books. Khalan Griffin stole the show, but he wasn’t the only meaningful takeaway on Saturday.

It was a busy week at South Main. A few housekeeping items, first. The Rice football online roster is updated to match the newest version from fall camp. I try to be diligent with tagging players in stories and updates, so if you’re ever looking to see what I’ve written about Blaze Alldredge, Mike Collins or anyone else, head on over their and click on their name for a list of everything I’ve tagged them in. The Rice football schedule has been updated as well. If you haven’t yet, you can pick up the Season Preview here.

Practice updates reserved for subscribers. Sign in to see this content or visit our Patreon page.

If you’re on the fence about subscribing, I put some meat into these write ups. This one is a little more than 1,100 words and includes some notes on the Rice football injury situation and improvements on the offensive side of the football. Though the first week and a half of camp, those two trends have been front and center.

COVID Update

Rice has one player test positive who was unable to practice today. Contact tracing protocols left the Owls without four additional players. Of the 106 players on the roster, that’s a .09% positivity rate.

Offense looking up

Expectations for the Rice defense are much higher than the offense entering camp. Assuming health, the Owls should have one of the better defensive units in the conference. As it was last season, the defense started fall camp ahead of the offense, but I did see a few things during the scrimmage today that make me believe the offense has taken some meaningful steps.

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Buy Now: The Roost’s 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and C-USA Preview

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The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2020 Rice Football Season Preview and the Conference USA Football Season Preview. These digital magazines are the one-stop-shop for every Rice and Conference USA Fan.

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview

The 2020 Rice Football Season Preview

This 160-page publication details everything you could imagine about Rice Football. It includes insight on the entire Rice roster as well with commentary on all 110 players on the active roster. From there the scope widens to breakdowns of every Conference USA team and all four of the Owls’ non-conference opponents. Each profile was compiled with the help from local experts who cover that beat on a daily basis with timely transfer information and any available spring updates.

As one Rice administrator dubbed it:
it’s the bible for Rice Football fans.

Get answers to questions like “Who has the leg up in the Rice quarterback battle?” or “Which incoming players could make the biggest impact?” or “Who are the top returning players Rice will face in Conference USA?”

This year’s edition included a feature story based on an interview with Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard. In the piece, we discuss how he evaluates head coach Mike Bloomgren’s coaching tenure.

The 2020 Conference USA Football Season Preview

The complete contents of the Conference USA Preview are contained within the Rice Preview. This 72-page guide includes everything Conference USA fans need to know for the upcoming season. Every team in the conference has a four-page profile. These profiles including coaching notes, pressing questions and the major storylines each squad faces this season. It also includes roster breakdowns with profiles on the biggest incoming and outgoing players.

No preview would be complete without the numbers, and this one has those in bunches. Each team section includes Conference USA metrics, returning production notes and analysis as well as stat lines for every returning player. There’s also a more detailed review of the conference’s top returning players for each major statistic. And it’s all at your fingertips rather than a dozen google searches away.

The Conference USA Preview omits the Rice-specific content like the position and player breakdowns, rising stars and more. Most Rice fans would prefer the Rice Preview whereas fans of other C-USA schools might prefer this version.

What are people saying about the Previews?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what people are saying:

  • “The Roost’s C-USA preview has been an indispensable resource for me as I make my preparations for this season.”
  • “I just spent 30 minutes going through it, but barely skimmed the surface. It’s a great way to learn the new players.
  • “I don’t know any preview that could be more detailed than that.”
  • “This is worth spending the money on. Best you will get for CUSA”
  • “I liked everything.”

Want more?

You can always find additional Rice Football and Conference USA Football content on the website. If you enjoy the Preview and want to get further involved, consider supporting us on Patreon or check out The Roost Shop. Our subscribers get exclusive content ranging from recruiting and practice updates to special analysis. For starters, they got a copy of the Preview for free!

Buy Rice Preview
Buy C-USA Preview
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Rice Football: Jersey numbers revealed for incoming freshman class

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The incoming Rice football freshman is one step closer to taking the field for the first time. The new Owls have been assigned jersey numbers.

The past few months have been unique for everyone. The incoming Rice football freshman class has been no exception. In a more traditional offseason, each player would have received a virtual copy of the playbook and instructions to study up before they got to campus for summer workouts. Their understanding would have been primarily driven by their own study and willingness to get ahead of the curve.

The virtual learning environment brought about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for those freshmen to mee with their teammates. In many ways, they’ve had more exposure to the program and the scheme than any class has had before them. Rather than begin their learning cover in earnest over the summer, the incoming class had a significant head start.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

With voluntary workouts set to begin soon, Rice football players and staff will begin to arrive on campus. That will include the 27 true freshmen that Rice will add to the team for the 2020 season. Here are the jersey numbers for those newcomers:

6. Griffin, Khalan (RB)
13. Narcisse, Lamont (CB)
14. Kamper, Nate (TE)
16. Doddridge, Jonah (S)
23. Tawa, Casey (WR)
25. Dunbar, Jordan (CB)
25. Mason, Andrew (WR)
26. Taylor, Gabe (S)
27. Awe, Andrew (LB)
28. Campbell, Kobie (RB)
29. Fresch, Sean (CB)
34. Ellis, Terreance (LB)
40. Reeves, Jalen (DE)
41. Wyatt, Plae (S)
42. Hibbard, Brian (FB)
44. Hargon, Geron (LB)
52. Nutter, Braedon (OL)
53. Leone, Mike (OL)
61. Witt, Harry (OL)
69. Lovell, Payton (OL)
72. Phillippi, Trey (OL)
81. Chappelle, Caleb (WR)
83. Wallace, Ryan (WR)
89. Haack, Michael (WR)
95. James, Caleb (DT)
98. Heitmann, Van (DE)
99. Latos, Cole (DE)

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 National Signing Day Recap

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The 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class included two National Signing Day splashes. Here’s where the Owls stand with the class mostly complete.

Rice added four newly committed players on National Signing Day. JUCO linebacker Jaren Banks and Stanford kicker Collin Riccitelli, both of whom committed earlier in the week, made their decisions official as did two newcomers in the secondary.

Early Wednesday morning, Rice signed Gulliver Prep defensive back Gabe Taylor, the highest-rated player in program history. Later in the day, they added corner Lamont Narcisse, another Top 10 player the school has ever signed.

Several walk ons who have yet to be officially announced will be added to the 2020 Rice Football Recruiting class as well. Many won’t be expected to be significant onfield contributors anytime soon, but it’s worth remembering that center Issac Klarkowski and corner Tre’shon Devones each walked on last season and started multiple games for the Owls.

The New Signees

Taylor and Narcisse give Rice a rather impressive haul in the secondary. That pair, along with previously signed Sean Fresch, Jordan Dunbar and Plae Wyatt, should serve as much-needed reinforcements on the back end of the defense.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 defensive signees (UPDATED)

The Owls did a much better job of keeping balls in front of them in 2019, but still ranked 13th in C-USA in passing defense, allowing 241.9 yards per game. A sturdy safety corps manned by George Nyakwol, Naeem Smith and Prudy Calderon provides a strong base. Finding corners who can win on their own seems to be the missing ingredient. Hopefully one or both of Taylor and Narcisse can rise to the occasion.

Star-studded

247 Sports is the most unanimously accepted measuring stick among recruiting services. A star rating from their service isn’t infallible, but it’s a great guide on a macro level. By that standard, the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the highest-rated in program history. Better still, four of the top 13 commits to ever sign with the program will be on campus this fall.

No. 1. DB Gabe Taylor
No. 6 ATH Jake Bailey
No. 7 CB Lamont Narcisse
No. 12 ATH Sean Fresch

Taylor, Narcisse and Fresch weren’t outliers, rather they were part of a larger group of extremely talented players.

Room to Improve

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is the No. 9 class in Conference USA. That’s a step up from the No. 11 class in 2019 and from No. 12 in 2018, but not the gigantic leap many were expecting. When the Early Signing Period was approaching in December, Rice had a top-two class and we were talking about the makings of what could become the best class in school history.

The decline in rankings is linked more to the number of signees than anything else. The Owls have signed 21 scholarship players so far. On Wednesday, Bloomgren detailed they would not fill the full 25. The recruiting services weight the quality as well as the quantity of players in signing classes.

More: Breaking down the Rice Football recruiting 2020 offense and special teams signees (UPDATED)

Of the C-USA programs with 20 or fewer high school and JUCO signees like Rice, the Owls’ rank third. If Rice were to sign 25 players eligible for the 247 ratings, they would assuredly finish within the Top 5, at worst. But gaming the rankings aren’t of interest to the Rice coaching staff, nor should they be. They have bigger fish to fry.

So what’s next?

What Rice lacks in this class was a singular top-end super-star to put them over the top. It would be nice to see Rice land a Power 5 transfer with top-end talent and a track record of success at the Division 1 level. The Owls are looking at some skill position players on offense right now and are optimistic they’ll be able to sign one before summer workouts get underway. That would put a bow on a great 2020 recruiting cycle.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020: Corner Lamont Narcisse commits to Owls

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Corner Lamont Narcisse has committed to the Owls. He’ll be one of the highest-rated members of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had some room to bolster the secondary on National Signing Day. Corner was a spot the Owls had been looking to reinforce. They ended the cycle with a bang, earning a commitment from 3-star cover man Lamont Narcisse from Calabasas, CA hours after signing 3-star defensive back Gabe Taylor.

The Owls weren’t alone in their desire to pick up an impact corner or two down the stretch. Washington State was neck and neck with Rice to earn Narcisse’s pledge. He visited the Cougars on January 24 and Rice on January 31. After evaluating his options, Narcisse opted to leave the Pac-12 footprint and head south.

Narcisse is the second-highest-rated prospect in the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class. He’s the third-highest-rated commitment of the Mike Bloomgren era, rating just below 2019 wide receiver Jake Bailey. Along with Taylor, Narcisse and Bailey were among the top 10 highest-rated players to commit to Rice in the 247 Sports era. In Narcisse’s case, that makes two consecutive years that Rice has pulled an elite player out of California, beating out a Power 5 team in the process.

More: Rice football 2020 recruiting class commitment list

Rankings don’t mean much in a vacuum, but Narcisse has the play to back up his standing. He’s 5-foot-11 and 175-pounds and can run like the wind. He has legitimate track speed. Narcisse will have the speed to line up against most everyone in Conference USA.

Narcisse joins Taylor and previously committed Jordan Dunbar and freaky fast Sean Fresch to form a stellar collection of corners in the 2020 class. The Owls’ could not be happier with their haul in the secondary, especially with Plae Wyatt manning the top at safety.

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