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Rice Football 2023 Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Boden Groen

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A JUCO transfer in his second year on campus, Boden Groen broke through in a major way to become our 2023 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Spring ball and fall camp often serve as proving grounds for up-and-coming players. The fresh faces have their moments in the sun, earn a spot on the depth chart and, eventually, get their chance to produce on Saturday. Translating those practice successes to game day is the biggest challenge, but tight end Boden Groen did so with ease. He’s our 2023 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Groen made his Rice debut in 2022, catching nine passes across 12 games as he worked to fully integrate himself into the Owls’ scheme after transferring from Saddleback College where he played the year prior. It was a somewhat inconspicuous start for a tight end presumed to be stuck behind multi-year starter Jack Bradley on the depth chart, but while he might have flown under the radar of spectators, the Rice coaching staff and his teammates were watching.

The first rumbles of Groen’s impending emergence began in the spring. The drum beat was unmistakable. “Boden Groen is a different player right now than he was last fall,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the spring. “The confidence he has, it’s pretty cool. He knows what he’s doing. He’s playing fast. He’s playing hard.”

If that wasn’t a strong enough endorsement, starting quarterback JT Daniels made a point to praise Groen in his comments following the conclusion of the spring game. “I wish more people took note of Boden,” Daniels said. “I think he’s going to be an absolute killer at the Y and F spot.”

At that point, Groen was flying under the radar no longer. Garnering the attention and praise of your head coach and star quarterback before that trio ever took the field together is hard to ignore. Then came fall camp where Groen took that buzz and grew it into a chorus.

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“He can run at his size. Those guys are hard to cover,” offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo said of Groen’s skillset. “The ability for that position to run-block and threaten the middle of the field with athleticism and speed, that is a game-changer.” And finally, “We think Boden can be in that [Travis Kelce] mold for us in this conference.”

When the games arrived, expectations were mounting. Groen responded by leading the team in receptions in the season opener against Texas. He built on that with at least one reception, usually more, in every game of the season. The only other Rice player to achieve that in 2023? Star wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.

Groen scored his first collegiate touchdown against Tulane. A few weeks later he had a multi-touchdown performance against Florida Atlantic, propelling the Owls to their sixth win and bowl eligibility. With the season on the line and McCaffrey pulling copious amounts of attention, Groen was the clear No. 2 option in the passing game.

In fact, Groen finished the season second among all AAC tight ends with 37 receptions and third with 376 receiving yards. Those 37 catches were the most by a Rice football tight end since Vance McDonald in 2011. His yardage total was the highest since McDonald in 2012.

More: 2023 Rice Football Iron Man — Clay Servin

Through it all, Groen stayed calm and humble. “Our coaches put together a great scheme every week,” Groen said. “And every week, I know that they’re going to call plays that are going to get me open, they’re gonna get Luke [McCaffrey] open, they’re going to get Dean [Connors] open.”

Coincidentally, that trio (Groen, McCaffrey and Connors) represented the top three pass catchers for Rice football this season. That’s a strong start for Groen to build on in 2024.

* Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker *
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The Roost’s 2023 Rice Football Season Superlatives

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The Roost’s 2023 Rice Football Season Superlatives exist to honor exceptional Owls who made a difference on the field this season. Here’s the complete list.

There were many individual performances worth recognizing in the 2023 Rice Football season. In addition to the more traditional awards below, make sure to check out The Roosties, our fifth annual award show from The Roost Podcast, which features a different angle of honors. From our favorite plays to the players that surprised us the most, we cover some of the more creative superlatives on the show. This list comprises the more traditional recognitions.

Iron Man — OL Clay Servin | Full Story

Excerpt: “Four of those five players transferred before their senior season. The fifth, offensive lineman Clay Servin, stuck with the program for the long haul, sticking with Rice football from that point onward through the next six seasons. In the era of the Transfer Portal which has made player movement more possible than ever before, Servin has been the rock Rice football has built on for more than half a decade.”

Offensive Newcomer of the Year — TE Boden Groen | Full Story

Excerpt: “When the games arrived, expectations were mounting. Groen responded by leading the team in receptions in the season opener against Texas. He built on that with at least one reception, usually more, in every game of the season. The only other Rice player to achieve that in 2023? Star wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.”

Defensive Newcomer of the Year — DE Coleman Coco | Full Story

Excerpt: “Always the first to credit his coaches for his growth and his teammates for an assist that set up a big play, Coco’s energy was contagious. It seemed impossible to be morose or downtrodden when he was next to you and his mentality permeated the locker room. No matter the score or the situation, Coco was convinced Rice would come out on top. And he hasn’t stopped preaching that message.”

Rising Star — RB Dean Connors | Full Story

Excerpt: “With the Owls’ backs against the wall, in need of two wins in two weeks to clinch bowl eligibility, Connors delivered a combined 33 carries for 259 yards, the best two-game stretch of his entire career. Rice won both games and made it to the postseason, thanks in large part to Connors’ efforts.”

Special Teams Player of the Year — Peyton Stevenson | Full Story

Excerpt: “The blocked punt score was the first for the Owls since Sam McGuffie in 2012. It was Stevenson’s second blocked kick of any kind, a first for any Rice player since Christian Covington blocked a pair of kicks in 2013. Already in rarified air amongst Rice history, Stevenson was one of just four players in the country this season to have blocked both a punt and a place kick.”

Defensive Player of the Year — Sean Fresch | Full Story

Excerpt: “Fresch began the season strong, tallying three pass breakups in the Owls’ upset win over the Houston Cougars and leading a secondary that would go on to finish second in the AAC in yards per game allowed through the air. Fresch started every game and provided a spark on special teams with his dynamic punt return abilities. Opposing defenses didn’t key in on him anymore. In fact, they started going the other way.”

Offensive Player of the Year — Luke McCaffrey | Full Story

Excerpt: “Three years ago, McCaffrey committed to Rice football with aspirations to play quarterback. He leaves South Main as one of the most productive wide receivers the school has ever seen. McCaffrey was a team captain and a leader, someone his teammates and the entire coaching staff leaned on in big moments. Time and time again, he delivered.”

Team MVP — JT Daniels| Full Story

Excerpt: “Daniels led a run-first team, with an explosive back in Dean Connors, to the top of the AAC leaderboard in passing. He took a team that hadn’t beaten crosstown rival Houston in 12 years to a thrilling overtime victory, the only Power 5 win by an AAC program in the regular season. Lastly, with Daniels leading the charge, Rice football reached six wins and a bowl game, their second-consecutive postseason trip.”

Check out the 2022 Rice Football Season Superlatives here.
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Rice Football 2023 Iron Man: Clay Servin

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One of the first signees of Mike Bloomgren’s tenure, left tackle Clay Servin has been a mainstay for the Owls and an easy pick for our 2023 Rice Football Iron Man.

Mike Bloomgren was hired as Rice football head coach on December 5, 2017. Two weeks later, the first-ever Early Signing Period opened and programs across the nation were permitted to sign high school players for the upcoming season in December rather than in February. As a first-year head coach taking over a one-win program, the Owls’ first class was small, with just five players announced on the opening day.

Four of those five players transferred before their senior season. The fifth, offensive lineman Clay Servin, stuck with the program for the long haul, sticking with Rice football from that point onward through the next six seasons. In the era of the Transfer Portal which has made player movement more possible than ever before, Servin has been the rock Rice football has built on for more than half a decade.

“I think coach Bloomgren and the staff in 2018 here at Rice kind of took a chance on me and I’m extremely grateful for that,” Servin said, whose only offer during the recruiting process came from Rice.

Servin made his collegiate debut midway through his freshman season against UAB and his first start the following weekend against FIU. Six years later he started his final game in the First Responders Bowl against Texas State, his 56h career appearance in a Rice uniform, a program record.

“I don’t know if I can put in any quantitative terms, the value of a guy like Clay Servin being here in year six,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said of the veteran offensive lineman.

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Servin surpasses former teammate Shea Baker, who tied the previous record (55 appearances) last season in the Lending Tree Bowl. He is also one of three Owls, alongside running back Juma Otoviano and running back Ari Broussard, who came into Rice with that original 2018 class and played into their sixth season of college football.

That track record gives Servin a unique perspective. Whereas quarterback AJ Padgett has now started back-to-back bowl games in his first two seasons on campus, Servin remembers how things were when we arrived and, of equal importance, why he stayed.

“I wanted to be a part of a program that took nothing into something,” Servin said. “I wanted to be a part of a program that built a legacy, especially as we transition into the American.”

That growth took buy in from Servin, who talked about his internal conflict and decision to recommit himself mentally following a challenging 2020 COVID season, drawing inspiration from teammates like Baker and center Isaac Klarkowski.

He coordinated meetings with the offensive line during the summers, taking younger players under his wing and teaching them the ins and outs of the position and the program before they were allowed to spend time with coaches directly. His voice and his imprint on the program were unmistakable.

“It was really about leaving a legacy with Rice football and showing these young guys in the program, regardless of how hard the academics here are, regardless of the names and other conferences that we are a good football team,” Servin said. “We put our pads on the same way as those five-star guys in the SEC and the Big XII. We are a good football team that can compete.”

In his final season, Servin’s squad reached its highest win in the past decade of Rice football. An offensive lineman at heart, Bloomgren summed up Servin’s impact well. “He’s seen so many things change throughout this program and he’s been a big part of that change, and part of us winning,” he said.

When the 2024 season kicks off, Rice football will have to break in a non-Clay Servin left tackle for the first time in six years. Perhaps that truth conveys his importance to this program better than anything else.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 170 – Fifth Annual Roosties for Rice Football

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The Rice football regular season is in the books. That means its time for our podcast awards, the fifth annual Roosties!

There will be a time for a more formal set of Rice football postseason awards. From Team MVP to newcomers of the year, those awards are coming. First, it’s time to present our immediate reactions to the season that was and share our nominations for players, units and games that made this season special in one way or another. Stay tuned below for our fifth iteration of the annual Roosties!

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 170.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. So is the brand new Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Remembering Rice Football with the Roosties! 

Carter and Matthew hand out honors in the following categories to commemorate the 2023 season, reliving the highs, lows  and everything in between:

  • Favorite Play
  • Player You Were Most Wrong About (Biggest Surprise)
  • Most Improved Unit
  • Play/Game You Most Want to Redo
  • Player You’ll Miss the Most
  • Out of Nowhere Star
  • Most Valuable Transfer
  • Most Head Scratching Moment
  • Most Dominant Game
  • Player You’re Most Looking Forward to in 2024

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.ri

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Rice Football 2022 Team MVP: Bradley Rozner

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Wide receiver Bradley Rozner made plays that won games, often putting the team on his back in key moments. He’s our 2022 Rice Football team MVP.

The story of how Bradley Rozner impacted Rice football in 2022 can’t be told on one play, but it’s fitting there is one moment that stands out above the rest and it’s equally fitting that one man rose to the occasion when his team needed it the most. In a do-or-die moment, Bradley Rozner reminded everyone why he was our 2022 Rice Football team MVP.

It’s already been written about in much more detail here, but the cliff notes version is pretty simple. Rice was tied with UTEP with 30 seconds on the clock and in range for about a 40-yard field goal should the gain no more ground. Rather than settle for the kick attempt, head coach Mike Bloomgren called up Rozner’s number and quarterback TJ McMahon hit No. 2 a step in front of the pylon or the game-winning score.

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“It’s kind of like [we] dare people to cover him one on one,” Bloomgren joked after the game. “That’s a heck of a weapon to have as your X-receiver.”

In what felt like a must-win game after falling to Charlotte the week prior, Rozner made what might have ended up becoming the most defining moment of the 2022 Rice football season. And that weapon, as Bloomgren referred to him, did much more than terrorize UTEP.

Rozner finished the 2022 campaign with 876 yards and 10 touchdowns. He became the first Rice football player to have double-digit receiving touchdowns in a single season since Jarrett Dillard and James Casey each accomplished the feat in 2008.

The depth at the wide receiver position allowed Rice to spread the ball out more often this year than they had in the past, but whether it was a highlight reel day or not, Rozner always seemed to make an impact that changed the game. He had 100 yards receiving or a touchdown in eight of the Owls’ 12 games this season.

More: Defensive Player of the Year — Josh Pearcy

What makes that run of dominance even more special is the path Rozner took to get to this point. After a breakthrough 2019 season, Rozner missed essentially the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 season with injuries, catching just two passes in the 2021 season opener against Arkansas before being shelved for the year.

Rozner’s first of two touchdowns in the Owls’ runaway win over McNeese State in their home opener was his first home touchdown in his Rice football career and his first touchdown grab as an Owl since November 16, 2019 against Middle Tennessee. Rozner’s emergence had been a long time coming.

Making it back to the field in any capacity and contributing to the offense would have been a relief for Rozner who hadn’t seen the field in such a long time. Becoming a go-to game-breaker was even more impressive. In many ways, it’s just like that game-winning score against UTEP. Someone gave Rozner a chance. He did the rest.

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