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The Roost Podcast | Ep 67 – Rice Football Recruiting Early Signing Period Review

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The 2021 Rice football recruiting class signed its first members this past week. We dig into the class and the storytelling from the Rice creative team.

The Early Signing Period is in the book and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is off to a great start. Carter and Matthew dedicate this episode of the podcast to the incoming Owls, their strengths and how they fit with the roster as its currently constructed.

Before getting to X’s and O’s, it seemed fitting to talk to the Owls’ own storytellers. The creative team of Caroline Hall and Trey Jackson took us behind the scenes on #FlightSchool21, telling us how the design elements came together and what it was like sharing this team’s story through a wild year.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 67.

Episode Notes

  • Housekeeping — Don’t miss this opportunity to subscribe on Patreon. Get two months free when you subscribe to an annual membership today. There’s a lot more in store for this football program, including all our Early Signing Period content. Get the scoop on the Owls’ 2021 class and more now.
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  • Interview: Rice Creative – Caroline Hall and Trey Jackson 
    • What goes into the graphics we see on social media?
    • Behind the scenes on the Marshall speech and the Early Signing Period
    • Takeaways and learnings from content creation in 2020
  • 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Class – Early Signing Period Review
    • Offensive evaluations
    • Defensive evaluations
    • Wish list for the rest of the class
    • What will scholarship restrictions have on future classes?

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Grad transfer WR Tre Patterson commits to Owls

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class added another playmaker. Former New Mexico wide receiver Tre Patterson will transfer to the Owls.

It was a busy week for the 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class, which signed 18 players on the first day of the Early Signing Period. Even with the majority of their class complete, Rice wasn’t quite finished with their pre-Christmas additions. On Friday, the Owls landed a commitment from former New Mexico wide receiver Tre Patterson.

Originally from Crosby, TX, Patterson signed with New Mexico as a member of the Lobos’ 2018 recruiting class. He appeared in 20 games over three seasons, catching 15 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. That includes a long score of 62 yards (below) where he turned a short out into a breakaway touchdown.

Patterson will enroll midyear and be available this spring. He joins JUCO linebacker Desmyn Baker and prep school defensive lineman Jalen Hargrove as the early enrollees in the 2021 class. He’ll round out a strong group of pass catchers already that signed on Wednesday including wideouts Jayden Folmar and Peyton Stevenson as well as tight end Jaggar Hebeisen.

Subscribers can check out takeaways from the entire 2021 class so far, as well as breakdowns of the signees on offense and defense. As things currently stand, Rice should only have a few remaining spots when they get to National Signing Day in February. Most of the Owls’ next wave of incoming players are signed and ready to go.

Premium: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Patterson has good instincts to pair with his top-flight speed. Look at this scramble drill score (below). He breaks off his route when he notices his quarterback is in trouble then beats his man down the field for the score. Having someone that can make plays off script like this will go a long way at South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking down the 2021 signees – Defense

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The 2021 Rice Football Recruiting class has stocked with defensive talent at all three levels from a rangy secondary to powerful additions in the front seven.

Rice signed 18 players on the first day of the Early Signing Period. Of their new additions, 16 are current high school seniors. 11 of them play on the defensive side of the ball, the focal point of this update. Subscribers can check out this position by position breakdown of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class.

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Defensive Line (4) – Cal Varner, Jalen Hargrove, Elroyal Morris, Blake Boenisch
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Rice Football Recruiting: 5 Takeaways from 2021 Early Signing Period

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The first members of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class signed this week, setting the stage for an exciting future at South Main.

The ink is starting to dry on the first day of the Early Signing Period and the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is off to a great start. Rice signed 18 players, representing the majority of their scholarship additions to their 2021 class.

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This class isn’t done yet — there are still a few more weeks before National Signing Day in February — but as it currently stands, here are a few immediate reactions from a group that could end up being pretty special for the Owls.

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1. Ratings boost

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls move from “needs” to “wants” with 2021 class

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The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class is stocked with talent, giving the Owls the luxury to fill some “wants” instead of scrambling for “needs”.

When Mike Bloomgren took the job, he had less than a week to get as many to assemble his first pass at a recruiting class. As a result, Rice ended its first Early Signing Period with six players in the 2018 Rice Football recruiting class. That class would fill out by the time National Signing Day arrived in February, but the chief priority in those classes was bodies first, flash second.

Rice found several impact players in that first class. Treshawn Chamberlain, Clay Servin, Antonio Montero … the list of multi-year starters goes on and on. Many of those guys are still here, still contributing vital roles to this team. Because of the strong foundations they started, the Owls were able to address other needs in their 2019 and 2020 classes.

Finally, with a fresh season ahead and pandemic (hopefully soon) behind them, Rice was able to do something with its 2021 class they hadn’t had the luxury to do in some time. Move past “needs”, to “wants”.

Rice signed five players that weigh 300 or more pounds on Wednesday. They have five players that large on their roster right now. Bloomgren referred to those new additions as “great pieces of clay” that he and his staff were willing to take the time to mold. This class wasn’t about filling urgent needs right now. It was truly focused on what Rice will look like on the field in 2022 and beyond.

More: 2020 Early Signing Period Live Tracker

“There’s no guarantees in this business that just because somebody’s strong they’re going to be better. But if everything is constant and I lift 100 pounds or 200 pounds more than you, and I have 20 pounds of good weight better than you, I should win. It’s just that simple,” Bloomgren said.

He’s not wrong.

In what will forever go down as the most pivotal game of Bloomgren’s tenure to date, Rice inserted 314-pound Izeya Floyd into the starting offensive line. The converted defender helped turn a line that caved inward the game prior into a unit that produced more than 100 rushing yards against a Marshall defense that hadn’t allowed an opponent to surpass the century mark on the ground all season.

One big body doesn’t win a football game on his own. But the more chances you can take to unearth that next key cog, the better. The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has the kind of top end talent that could play a massive role for this team quickly. The additions at linebacker are impressive. The wide receivers are going to be difference makers here.

But having the luxury to do both, to meet your current needs and expand your horizons to “wants” and “hopes”, that’s the mark of a program that’s established the baseline of talent it needs to compete. The Owls want these next pieces can raise the floor, and with it, the ceiling, too

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