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Rice Football 2022 Iron Man: Shea Baker

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In a season filled with ups and downs, offensive lineman Shea Baker steadied the offense on his way to being named our 2022 Rice Football Iron Man.

To some extent, everything about the Rice football program has changed in the past five seasons. A new head coach, upgraded facilities and a revamped roster make it hardly recognizable from the scene head coach Mike Bloomgren walked into when he was hired following the 2017 season. But at least one thing has been constant, our 2022 Rice Football Iron Man award winner Shea Baker.

When Baker donned his helmet for the final time against Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl he put an exclamation point on a Rice football record that won’t soon be broken, if ever. Baker leaves Rice as the all-time leader in career starts, making 53 starts over his six-year career.

Prior to Baker, Chris Boswell held the record at 51 starts. Starting statistics weren’t officially kept in Rice game books until the mid-1990s. Even then, redshirt rules weren’t what they are today and teams didn’t even play 12-game regular season schedules with regularity for many years afterward. Few players in Rice football history have appeared in 53 games, let alone started.

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Setting start records was never what Baker set out to achieve when he arrived at South Main. He wanted to leave a legacy and help rebuild a program that had fallen on hard times. “It makes you realize how long I’ve actually been here,” Baker said of the record. “It feels good that I’ve broken a record, I can leave a footprint or a legacy and in the process helping this program get to a bowl game.”

How Baker reached that record only served to further amplify how impressive it was. Baker became the skeleton key along the offensive line, flip-flopping between center and guard, sometimes on a week-to-week basis.

Frequent position changes might have fazed some, but not Baker. “I’m used to it,” Baker admitted. “Over the years I’ve gone guard and center more times than I can count. I think I’m about even on starts with guard and center so to me, both are natural positions now. It’s really no issue at all.”

By mid-September, Baker had played more than 3,000 snaps in his Rice football career, a number that is probably closer to 3,500 now. He missed just one start — he was sick during the week with the flu and missed the walk-through — but entered that game in the first quarter anyways.

More: Rice Football Rising Star — Blake Boenisch

It’s going to be surreal watching a Rice football game without number 58 lined up somewhere in the middle of the line. Whether with the ball in his hands or standing just next to center, Baker has been a mainstay in a program that’s changed so much in such a short time. For Baker, he wouldn’t have his legacy remembered in any other way.

When asked about his legacy, Baker’s everyday availability was near to his heart. “Playing as hard as I can, whenever I can, every play,” Baker said. “Being dependable, being the most consistent and best player I can be.”

Because of Baker’s example, Rice football has a standard in the offensive trenches that will live on well past the time he’s done strapping on shoulder pads. Baker was a true iron man, someone that showed up every day to work and set the stage for what he, and others, hope will be an even better future.

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Rice Football 2022 Rising Star: Blake Boenisch

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From a reserve to a marquee defensive player, Blake Boenisch was a difference maker this season and our 2022 Rice Football Rising Star.

If spring ball was any indication, Rice football was going to have an abundance of riches on the defensive line entering the 2022 season. Unlike at wide receiver where injuries thinned the group near the bare minimum number of bodies needed to operate, the defensive line was relatively healthy this year. Which made the emergence of Blake Boenisch, our 2022 Rice Football Rising Star, even more impressive.

When Boenisch arrived on campus, all the reports were glowing. Head coach Mike Bloomgren called him a “big specimen” with “a great mindset” heading into Boenisch’s true freshman season in 2021. The true freshman from Needville, TX would appear in two games, but not record any statistics.

Boenisch would be one of the first to tell you he had to get adjusted to the college game. Everything was a step up, from the workouts to the practice field. The coaching staff was patient, challenging him and working with him until things started to click this spring.

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“The kid is a freak of nature,” fellow teammate and captain Trey Schuman said of Boenisch. “He’s 6-3, 330 and can move. It’s not every day that you see somebody like him. Really the thing about Blake is his maturation process has been insane.”

Following the spring game, Bloomgren began a short synopsis of who he viewed as the players who stood out the most during the sessions. Blake Boenisch was near the top of the list.

“Blake Boenisch made the jump you want someone to take from freshman ball to spring,” Bloomgren said. “And I’m really encouraged by what he’s doing.” Those wishful platitudes would turn into bonafide praise soon enough.

Boenisch saw some action against USC but really made his mark in the Owls’ first home game of the year against McNeese State. De’Braylon Carroll was forced to exit the game early with an injury, opening the door for Boenisch who wasted no time in announcing his presence.

He racked up five tackles including 1.5 sacks, flashing time and time again. It was impossible not to notice how much impact he was having on the field, regardless of whether or not he registered any tangible statistic on the play. He changed the game, no small praise for someone working in just their fourth collegiate contest.

It was wheels up from that point onward. Boenisch would no longer be a “break glass in case of emergency” reserve. He became part of the active rotation, seeing meaningful minutes from that point onward.

More: Special Teams Player of the Year — Christian VanSickle

Boenisch had four tackles against UAB and four more against UTEP on his way to 28 total tackles for the season. Only Quent Titre (31) had more tackles from the interior line position and outside of Josh Pearcy (43 tackles) off the edge, Boenisch finished just five tackles short of Ikenna Enechukwu who is expected to be an NFL Draft selection this offseason.

When asked to sum up just how impactful the second-year player had been for the Owls, Bloomgren was almost at a loss for words. “Blake’s a lot to deal with,” he remarked, praising Boenisch on the heels of his second consecutive start of the season, which came against UTSA in mid-November.

Rice football will always employ a heavy rotation on the defensive line. Keeping players fresh is a maxim defensive coordinator Brian Smith will forever hold true. But make no mistake, Boenisch has climbed very near to the top of that pecking order and he’s not backing down any time soon.

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The Roost’s 2022 Rice Football Season Superlatives

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The Roost’s 2022 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 2022 Rice Football season. In addition to the more traditional awards below, make sure to check out The Roosties, our fourth 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.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year — WR Isaiah Esdale | Full Story

Excerpt: “Esdale would go on to catch 42 passes as a Rice Owl. 25 of them went for a first down. 13 of them were for 15+ yards or longer. He was a chain mover and a big-play maker, coming through in clutch moments time and time again. While Bradley Rozner and Luke McCaffrey were the wideouts that most often found paydirt and racked up the yards, Esdale’s contribution was clutchness.”

Defensive Newcomer of the Year — LB Chris Conti | Full Story

Excerpt: “After a parade of reliable all-conference caliber linebackers that have passed through the Rice football locker room in recent years, finding someone who could fill those shoes was a daunting task. The Owls found at least one such man in Conti. And fortunately enough, he still has two more seasons of eligibility to make a difference at South Main.”

Sp. Teams Players of the Year  — PK Christian VanSickle | Full Story

Excerpt: “In that span, he made six kicks from beyond 30 yards. Rice had one such make all of last season. He had four go through the pipes from 40+ yards away. And this after attempting his first collegiate field goal last season. For someone brand new to the position to give his team the utmost level of reliability was truly remarkable.”

Rising Star — DL Blake Boenisch | Full Story

Excerpt: “The kid is a freak of nature,” fellow teammate and captain Trey Schuman said of Boenisch. “He’s 6-3, 330 and can move. It’s not every day that you see somebody like him. Really the thing about Blake is his maturation process has been insane.”

Iron Man — OL Shea Baker | Full Story

Excerpt: “When Baker donned his helmet for the final time against Southern Miss in the Lending Tree Bowl he put an exclamation point on a Rice football record that won’t soon be broken, if ever. Baker leaves Rice as the all-time leader in career starts, making 53 starts over his six-year career.”

Off. Player of the Year — WR Luke McCaffrey | Full Story

Excerpt: “The emergence of McCaffrey coincided with an offensive awakening that never seemed to be fully realized. Rice football is better with McCaffrey on the field and the Owls are fortunate he’s got more eligibility to spend catching football at South Main.”

Def. Player of the Year — LB Josh Pearcy | Full Story

Excerpt: “Pearcy would go on to make more plays, including tying a season-high seven tackles with one sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss in the Owls’ Lending Tree Bowl matchup with Southern Miss. All three of those measures tied or lead the team outright. In another big moment, Pearcy showed up. Because that’s what great players do.”

Team MVP — WR Bradley Rozner | Full Story

Excerpt: “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.”

Check out the 2021 Rice Football Season Superlatives here.
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Rice Football 2022 Special Teams Player of the Year: Christian VanSickle

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Nearly automatic at a position in need of stability, kicker Christian VanSickle is our 2022 Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year.

There was a point during the 2021 season when Rice football just stopped kicking field goals. The coaching staff wisely made the decision to go for it on fourth down more often rather than put the ball at the feet of anyone in the specials teams room, resulting in zero field goal attempts after November 6 and a whopping 10 fourth down tries.

That was the backdrop that Christian VanSickle stepped into this season. Competence would have been enough. He was excellent and a sure-fire selection for our 2022 Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year.

With VanSickle’s foot doing the honors, Rice improved from 5-for-11 (45%) on field goal tries to 11-of-16. (69%). Van Sickle did not miss a single extra point; the Owls missed two such tries the season prior.

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But it wasn’t just the overall bump in numbers that made VanSickle so reliable, it’s how those statistics were accumulated. VanSickle converted his first 10 attempts, beginning the year a staggering 10-for-10.

In that span, he made six kicks from beyond 30 yards. Rice had one such make all of last season. He had four go through the pipes from 40+ yards away. And this after attempting his first collegiate field goal last season. For someone brand new to the position to give his team the utmost level of reliability was truly remarkable.

“He’s been awesome,” special teams coordinator Chris Monfiletto said. “He’s put in the time.”

The field goal unit went from a liability to an asset in the span of one season and VanSickle was the prevailing reason for that improvement.

More: Offensive Newcomer of the Year — WR Isaiah Esdale

VanSickle wasn’t perfect. He did end the year on a surprising cold spell, missing five of his last six attempts. Cold and windy conditions in the Owls’ final two games of the season clearly impacted the ball coming off his foot and a few more makes in the regular season finale against North Texas could have elevated his stature even further. Nevertheless, what he did for this team this year was crucial.

If VanSickle doesn’t emerge, Rice football probably drops at least one more game along the way. He contributed 13 points himself in the Owls’ seven-point win over UTEP. He was responsible for seven points in a tight game that would become a 12-point win over Louisiana. For an offense that had its ups and downs, VanSickle was extremely consistent, and that’s what Rice football needed the most.

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Rice Football 2022 Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Isaiah Esdale

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Rice football rebuilt its offense during the offseason, bulking up the receiving corps and finding a playmaker in Isaiah Esdale.

After playing a part-time role at West Virginia before he arrived in Houston, Isaiah Esdale wanted to make his final season count. “I want to break records,” he said with a serious smile upon his arrival. While the big records might not have fallen, Esdale carved out his portion of history and earned his spot as our 2022 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Like his play, Esdale’s path to Houston was an extremely positive surprise. The team had a loaded wide receiver depth chart and didn’t appear to be in the market to add another pass catcher. Then he entered the Transfer Portal and Rice couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring him in.

On the day he committed to come to Rice, head coach Mike Bloomgren described him as a guy “that absolutely made 50/50 balls more like 80/20 balls.” Wide receivers coach Mike Kershaw joked that he didn’t know how he was going to get so many different receivers on the field at the same time, but Esdale would make plays. Esdale was clearly a talented player, but where would he fit in this offense?

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Then two things happened. Injuries cropped up in the receiver room, knocking out fellow transfer Sam Crawford for the season as well as the loss of Cedric Patterson going for an extended period of time, too. While the room was thinning out, Esdale was producing. He flashed in practice, making plays at all levels of the field.

It was crystal clear by the midpoint of fall camp that he had earned a spot on the field. How big that role would become would come down to him.

Esdale would go on to catch 42 passes as a Rice Owl. 25 of them went for a first down. 13 of them were for 15+ yards or longer. He was a chain mover and a big-play maker, coming through in clutch moments time and time again. While Bradley Rozner and Luke McCaffrey were the wideouts that most often found paydirt and racked up the yards, Esdale’s contribution was clutchness.

“When you need a big catch, when you need a big play, he’s coming through,” Bloomgren said. “He makes things look easy, including those big-time catches in big-time situations.”

More: Defensive Newcomer of the Year — LB Chris Conti

And even more impressive still, Esdale accounted for almost a third of that production with an injured hand. The veteran wideout got hurt at the beginning of the Western Kentucky game and would wear a split on one finger during practice for the next two weeks. One would have never been able to tell by watching his play on Saturdays.

“Isaiah’s not going to be bothered by this stuff. Isaiah is going to be fine,” Bloomgren said following the Western Kentucky game in which Esdale was banged up. “I don’t think anything is going to keep him from playing.”

Bloomgren would be right. Esdale finished the season and kept producing. After battling through injuries midseason that limited his practice time during the week, Esdale persevered and continued to show tremendous toughness, catching his only two touchdowns as an Owl in the Lending Tree Bowl, both of which came on plays of, you guessed it, 25+ yards. Rice football doesn’t get to where it did this season without his contributions.

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