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Keeping track of eligibility and positions can be challenging and there wasn’t one single source that had the most up-to-date information — now there is. In addition to the roster tracker and as a complement to the roster, which has been updated to account for all the final additions and changes with the start of camp, this grid tracks every Rice football player by position and classification. Position changes from last season and/or the spring are also detailed below.
This piece is part of our 2023 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today.
The average size of the 2023 Rice football recruiting class is among the largest in the nation. That’s the sort of thing that happens when you open your next wave of incoming talent with a string of commitments along the offensive line. Four of the Owls’ five 2023 commits are offensive lineman, with the newest addition coming from within the state. Somerset, TX product Phillip Gallegos has committed to the Owls.
Gallegos took multiple visits to Rice this spring, checking in most recently at the spring game. That late push by the Owls made a difference, giving him the confidence he needed to pull the trigger and make his pledge official.
Dartmouth and Sam Houston State each extended official offers to Gallegos before the Owls. Although Rice didn’t get in the door first, they were able to seal the deal. In the world of recruiting, that’s all that matters.
Gallegos is the fifth offensive lineman to commit to Rice in the past two weeks. Nate Bledsoe started the run on April 17. The most recent addition before Gallegos came from the JUCO ranks. Center Weston Kropp committed to Rice on April 25.
Standing 6-foot-7, Gallegos will dwarf the majority of his 2023 Rice Football recruiting classmates. And while those size metrics do look good on a roster, they’re even harder to miss when he’s on the field. Gallegos is a bruiser who wins in the trenches with his physicality. His film highlights how he uses his hands to and size to hold defenders at bay.