Rice football announced captains this week and solidified some of the final starting spots for Saturday’s opener against Arkansas.
The 2021 Rice football season is approaching quickly. Rice football has wrapped up its final full practice prior to their flight to Arkansas. And has been customary over the last several years, the Owls announced their captains for the season at what is officially the end of fall camp.
This update will kick off with more on who those captains, including a significant quarterback inclusion, then we’ll turn our attention to (primarily) good news on the injury front, updates on key position battles at linebacker and corner and some last-minute notes from practice before the season begins on Saturday.
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2021 Rice Football Captains Announced
As has been customary under Mike Bloomgren, Rice football announced its 2021 captains after wrapping up the final full practice prior to their season-opening game.
Introducing our 2021 Captains.|
📰 »https://t.co/zgRuBdNl4i#GoOwls👐 x #RFND pic.twitter.com/t8mDTRG9Zs
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) September 2, 2021
Jordan Myers and Cam Riddle are making repeat appearances after being chosen as captains by their teammates last season. Wiley Green, Trey Schuman and Naeem Smith are new additions this season.
This is Schuman’s fifth season at Rice. He made his collegiate debut at Stanford as a true freshman in 2017 and a fixture in the starting lineup when healthy since 2019. Smith arrived at Rice in 2019 and became a vocal leader for the defense quickly. Like with Myers and Riddle, their teammates are quick to listen when they offer advice.
The Roost Podcast: Arkansas Game Preview
Green’s journey has been somewhat unique. He began his Rice career as the scout team quarterback in 2018, rising to starter midseason. He battled for the top job in 2019, making seven starters before falling behind in the pecking order in 2020, seeing only one relief appearance.
Many college football players have thrown in the towel after much less daunting odds, but Green persevered and remains the most probable man to get the opening snap against Arkansas. That speaks volumes to Green’s character and perseverance and how highly his teammates value his leadership. Starter or not, Green’s spot in the captain’s circle is significant.
Key players returning to practice
Rice has seen significantly better injury luck during fall camp this year compared to last year, but there have been some bumps and bruises along the way. It’s likely Rice will be without a handful of players on Saturday — but some good news, too — a few key players did return to practice this week.