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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 OL Patrick Valent commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class has doubled down in the trenches, picking up a commitment from offensive lineman Patrick Valent.

For the better part of a month, the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class had one commitment: quarterback Chase Jenkins. Then the Owls ramped up the visits at the tail end of spring practice and the pace began to pick up quickly. Only a few days after securing a commitment from several additional offensive lineman, Rice has added another, Patrick Valent, to the fold as well.

Valent seemed locked in from the start. Rice was first to offer him out of Ohio in January. He told The Roost at that time that Rice would always “have a spot at the absolute top of my list” when it came to recruiting. He backed up those words when other offers soon followed.

After Rice’s offer in January, Valent picked up offers from Akron, Army, Air Force and Dartmouth. Even the draw of playing in state wasn’t enough to keep Valent from flocking south to Texas. Valent called the staff “first-class at all levels” and left campus impressed by the culture. Another visit included a picture with the then-committed Jenkins, further emphasizing Valent’s interest.

“I have a personality, but I’m all about work.I’m gonna work every day to ensure that Rice is the standard,” Valent said.

His commitment marks the sixth announcement for the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class and the fifth along the offensive line.

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It doesn’t take a film grinder to appreciate what Valent brings to the table. He drives back blockers and puts them in the dirt. “That’s my whole game,” Valent said. “I finish blocks with the best every play I am in and I want to drive you off the ball against your will and finish with force.” A quick look at his highlights makes that crystal clear.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Phillip Gallegos commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class will be well-stocked in the trenches. Offensive lineman Phillip Gallegos has committed to the Owls.

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.

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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.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO OL Weston Kropp commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice Football recruiting class has added experience up front, earning a commitment from JUCO offensive lineman Weston Kropp.

Adding an experienced piece along the offensive line has been on the to-do list for the 2022 Rice football recruiting class since the Early Signing Period. The Owls were content with their pair of high school scholarship signees at the position, but hoped to add one proven player that could contend for time in the rotation, at the very least.

After a few months of searching, Rice has found their guy, landing a commitment from JUCO offensive lineman Weston Kropp. Kropp was lightly recruited out of high school, mainly receiving offers from a handful of JUCOs. He spent the 2021 season at Jones College where he appeared in eight games.

Kropp joins what has become a tidal wave of young offensive lineman commitments this week. The Owls picked up three additions in the 2023 class — Nate Bledsoe, Luke Needham and Peyton Farmer. Kropp will have the benefit of having a year of college ball under his belt and he’ll be with the Owls this season.

Kropp has experience at center, something that undoubtedly made him an intriguing addition for the Owls. Prior to his addition, Braedon Nutter, a starting guard, was slated to be the backup center, inevitably causing mass shuffling along the line if a change needed to be made.

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On the tape, Kropp checks a lot of boxes. He’s quick off the ball and holds up well in pass protection. Getting his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame in the weight room with strength coach Hans Straub should only serve to accentuate his strong talent base. He’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

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Rice Football Recruiting: LB Chris Conti commits to Owls

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The 2022 Rice football recruiting class has added one more from the Transfer Portal, securing a commitment from former Rutgers linebacker Chris Conti.

While the team was getting work on the field, the Rice football recruiting staff was continuing to seek out every opportunity they could find to improve the roster before the real games arrived this fall. The Owls have hit the Transfer Portal once again, securing a commitment from former Rutgers linebacker Chris Conti.

As has become a somewhat common occurrence with the loosened transfer restrictions and the added year of eligibility because of the COVID season, Conti has plenty of eligibility remaining. The third-year player will have three years of eligibility when he arrived at South Main for workouts this summer after redshirting as a true freshman in 2019.

A later entrant to the portal, Conti missed the first wave of post-regular season entrants in December because of Rutgers’ haphazard offseason. The Scarlett Knights were the “backup team” that filled in a vacated spot in the Gator Bowl after Texas A&M announced it would be unable to play. Bowl prep delayed Conti’s departure, but by that time, he’d already made his decision to move on.

Conti picked Rice over offers from UConn, UMass, Rhode Island and several Patriot League schools. In his own words, Rice was “kind of an opportunity that you really can’t turn down.”

He joins a room that will feature a wide array of players of various levels of experience. Conti, along with incoming transfer Cam Dillion from Columbia will help solidify a group that already returns two part-time starters from last year’s roster, Aidan Siano and Myron Morrison.

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Conti hasn’t compiled much on the film side since his senior year of high school when he posted 111 tackles in the season. He appeared in 12 games at Rutgers over the span of three seasons, seeing the bulk of his time with the special teams unit. Still, his experience in the game is something he believes will give him an advantage in this next step.

Conti told The Roost he’s already familiar with some of the sort of plays the Rie defense runs, noting a few overlapping concepts between the defenses. “Once I get in there I think I’ll learn it pretty fast,” he said. Conti is expected to join the team when summer workouts begin in June.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 OL Peyton Farmer commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class keeps adding in the trenches. Offensive lineman Peyton Farmer has committed to the Owls.

The good times keep rolling for the 2023 Rice football recruiting class. The Owls have been reeling in commit after commit after a productive set of visits this spring and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Rice has now landed its second commitment of the day. Ridge Point offensive lineman Peyton Farmer has committed to the Owls.

Continuing a theme that has become fairly commonplace around South Main in recent years, Rice was the first to offer Farmer and led wire-to-wire from that point onward in his recruitment. His only other offer would come in mid-April from San Diego State. At that point, the Owls’ had already built a strong relationship and gotten him on campus for Junior Day.

Farmer made the move from defense this past season. Despite his newness to the position, he impressed, allowing one sack throughout the length of the entire season. Unsurprisingly, Farmer says pass protection is one aspect of his game of which he’s most proud.

The Ridge Point product marks the third offensive line commitment announced in the 2023 Rice Football Recruiting class this week. This trio — Farmer, Luke Needham and Nate Bledsoe — will form the nucleus of blockers around quarterback Chase Jenkins, the only non-lineman in the class so far.

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Farmer stands out as the big guy among the big guys on his high school film. Primary spending time at right tackle his junior season, he showcased an ability to create good position with his feet and drive defensive lineman back with his strength. He seems to be a relatively balanced player, showcasing an ability to pick up pass rushers and open up running lanes downfield as well.

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