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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls ramping up as Early Signing Period nears

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class is coming together. The Owls added two commitments this week and are in pursuit of several additional targets.

December marks the busiest weeks of the recruiting calendar. The Owls paid visits to nearly every member of the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class over the past week while simultaneously preparing to host additional waves of new recruits.

Rice Football Recruiting

Entering the weekend, every member of the 2020 class was a high school senior. With football seasons done and school year’s wrapping up, several potential transfer targets made their way to Houston. Rice walked away with two commitments from transfers — JUCO quarterback TJ McMahon and former Colgate offensive tackle Jovaun Woolford. Several other players were impressed by what they saw from the Owls.

Names to Know

OL – Witt Mitchum

Near the top of the list of outstanding targets is Tennessee offensive tackle Witt Mitchum. Rice offered Mitchum in November. Since then he’s picked up offers from Georgia Southern, UConn, Kansas State and Kansas. His recruitment is blowing up, but Rice is hanging in with him for the long haul. Mitchum is originally from San Antonio and those Texas ties might help the Owls in this fight.

OL – Mike Leone

Leone has been a priority for a while now, staying in close communication with the staff despite being tucked away in New Jersey. He’s coming down to Texas for a visit, skipping over opportunities much closer to home to come to South Main. Building the offensive line pipeline is crucial for this program, making the importance of Leone’s visit tremendous.

OL – Adam Sheriff

If the addition of Woolford earlier this week didn’t make it abundantly clear, Rice will always be on the market for experienced production on the offensive line. Sheriff spent last season at Butler Community College and has three years of remaining eligibility. He’s being courted by a few other C-USA schools like North Texas and Western Kentucky.

What’s Next?

In addition to some new targets, Rice will have the majority of their non-transfer commits on campus this coming weekend. Most of the local commits have been back for a few games during the year, but the out-of-state additions have had fewer chances to get back to campus. Despite the distance, the class has remained close. They’re looking forward to all getting back together.

As of right now, I expect Rice to sign at least a dozen, if not more, of their current commits during the Early Signing Period, which starts on Wednesday, Dec. 18. That will leave a handful of additional spots to lock down prior to National Signing Day in February, similar to how the team filled out their 2019 class a year ago.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Grad transfer OT Jovaun Woolford commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has added a big grad transfer target up front. Colgate offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford has committed to the Owls.

The Rice football offensive line was completely retooled entering the 2019 season. The Owls brought in three grad transfers: Brian Chaffin (Stanford), Nick Leverett (North Carolina Central) and Justin Gooseberry (Ouachita Baptist).

All three of those new additions are out of eligibility, and although players like walk-on Isaac Klarkowski have emerged, bringing in a veteran presence in the trenches was a focal point of the Owls’ recruiting efforts in the 2020 cycle. Head coach Mike Bloomgren’s background with offensive lines continues to pay dividends.

Rice Football Recruiting

Rice has answered that priority with its most recent commitment. Grad transfer Jovaun Woolford — a three-year starter from Colgate, who stands 6-foot-5, and weighs 300-pounds — will play his final season of eligibility at South Main.

A former high school wrestler, Woolford is going to bring an infusion of physicality and proven production to the Rice football offensive line. Woolford redshirted in 2015 and missed the majority of the 2018 season with an injury. His breakout year came between those campaigns, in 2017 when he started all 11 games at right tackle, earning first-team All-Patriot League honors.

Clay Servin will most likely hold down his spot on the left side of the line. The right tackle spot is open with the departure of Gooseberry, seemingly a natural spot for Woolford to slide into.

With Woolford committed, the Owls can be a bit more selective on other potential additions in the trenches. At the very least, Rice football has two quality offensive tackles to block for their deep stable of running backs. New additions beyond Woolford or not, this a big get for the Owls.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO QB TJ McMahon commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has a quarterback in the fold. JUCO passer TJ McMahon has committed to the Owls.

If Rice football has learned anything about the quarterback position, they know depth matters. In 2018, the Owls turned to scout team quarterback Wiley Green in their first conference win. Last season, true freshman JoVoni Johnson and grad transfer Tom Stewart provided an effective tandem. Who takes the majority of the snaps in 2020 remains to be seen, but the Owls have a new contender in the race.

TJ McMahon, quarterback for Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA has committed to Rice. McMahon just completed his freshmen season, giving him potentially three years of eligibility to play at South Main. That first year of college ball was productive for McMahon, who threw for 2,667 yards in 11 games, completing 65.8 percent of his passes. He threw 24 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.

Rice Football Recruiting
McMahon represents an upgrade in the passing game from the current roster. As a group, the Owls’ tallied 1,992  passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 56.3 percent completions. Last year’s leading passer Tom Stewart won’t return.

Unlike Stewart who arrived in the summer last year, McMahon intends to enroll early, joining the team in January. He’ll be in attendance for spring practices, getting the extra time to learn the offense which Stewart wasn’t afforded.

McMahon is being brought in to compete for the starting job. He’ll battle returning quarterbacks JoVoni Johnson and Wiley Green. There’s plenty of time before Mike Bloomgren will have to make a decision, but McMahon checks all the boxes with his athleticism, arm talent and mental ability. McMahon is an exciting talent and a name Rice fans need to know.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls keep pushing on 2020 and 2021 classes 🔒

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We’re one month out from the Early Signing Period and the 2020 Rice Football recruiting class keeps adding new names to their radar.

The already star-studded 2020 Rice Football recruiting class would like to add a few new names to the ranks before the Early Signing Period arrives on December 18. The Owls are making plans for several additional high school additions, but they’ll keep their eyes on potential transfer targets as well. Here are a few names that have emerged in recent weeks.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ) – 2020

I mentioned Leone in a previous update, but I wanted to bring him back up here because of a new development in his recruitment. The Yale commit is pickup up offers from Kansas an Maryland in recent weeks. He’s bypassed the opportunity to take an official visit to the Terps prior to the early signing period. Instead, he’ll fly to Houston to visit Rice. This one is far from over, but beating out a local Power 5 school for a visit prior to the early signing period is obviously a huge win for Rice.

DJ Warnell – CB – Dickinson (Dickinson, TX) – 2020

Dickinson corner DJ Warnell’s recruitment has picked up quickly this year. Starting with offers from Boston College and Texas Tech in January, Warnell’s offer count has climbed to 16, including a host of Power 5 schools like Arizona and Tennessee. Rice became the most recent to jump into the fray following a visit last week.

Mason Tharp – TE – Klein (TX) – 2021

Three freshmen in the current 2019 class have played in every game this season. One of them, Jack Bradley, plays tight end. It’s no coincidence that a school which runs more two-tight end and three-tight end sets than most every other school in the nation makes the position a priority.

For 2021, Rice has set its sights on Mason Tharp. The 6-foot-7 big man plays center on the basketball team and has plus athleticism. He can play in-line or split out and he’s a bruiser in the running game.

DJ Arkansas – LB – Ryan (Denton, TX) – 2021

Rice thinks they’ve identified a premier pass rusher in Denton Ryan-product DJ Arkansas. The Owls’ were the first school to offer Arkansas, knowing he was the right fit for the program early on. They’ve been cautious with the offers extended to anyone in the 2021 class to this point, making Arkansas a clear priority. He loved his first gameday visit and has had nothing but positive things to say about the program and the staff.

Arkansas, along with Tharp and Cibolo Steele QB Wyatt Begeal, are the only three offers the Owls have extended to members of the 2021 class.

Filling out the class

There were 10 non-highschool additions to the 2019 Rice Football recruiting class. JUCO transfers Brad Rozner, Naeem Smith and Miles McCord and seven grad transfers, most notably three offensive linemen and quarterback Tom Stewart complimented the predominantly young influx of talent.

The total number of veteran additions might not be as high as 10, but the staff is keeping their eye on the Transfer Portal for the right kind of instant-impact players to add to the 2020 class. There’s a good chance the Owls pursue a quarterback, offensive lineman and wide receiver, and possibly a few other positions where they’ll be thinner than they’d like to be next fall.

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Rice Football Recruiting: New targets emerging in 2020 class 🔒

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class continues to take shape with new targets emerging as the Owls work to finish off a strong class.

The results on the field haven’t been to the Owls’ liking, but things are looking up on the 2020 Rice Football recruiting front. The current commits remain locked in. The family atmosphere is already building with the next wave of Owls who are ready to make their own marks at South Main.

The most recent addition, defensive end Jalen Reeves, committed to the Owls in September over a slew of prominent programs. Here are a few additional targets who could join the 2020 Rice Football class:

Daylin McLemore – QB – Junipero Serra HS (CA)

Rice moved on their quarterback of the 2021 class recently, offering Cibolo Steele dual-threat Wyatt Begeal. At the same time, the Owls were doing their homework on a 2020 quarterback they have interest in. There have been a few names pop up here, but McLemore seems to have moved into the forefront of the Owls’ focus at the quarterback position. He has good touch through the air and some wheels, too.

Armaj Adams-Reed – OT – Desoto HS (TX)

Adams picked up a Rice offer last week following a visit from the Rice staff during the bye week. From Desoto HS, Reed is a tremendous athlete at the offensive line position and he looks the part. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound holds down the blindside for his school and could serve the Owls well at the next level.

Will Sheppard – WR – Mandeville HS (LA)

The Owls will be selective about when it comes to the right pass catchers to round out the 2020 class. Sheppard clears that bar and could be a difference-maker at the position for the Owls. For that reason, he’s been near the top of that list and has been pursued by Rice for several months now.

River Woods – DB – Dallas Episcopal HS (TX)

Woods has been in the mix for a while now. The two-way player from Dallas remains a priority for the Owls on the recruiting front. Reinforcing the secondary will be an emphasis in this class, making the looks into Woods important.

Mike Leone – OT – Hun School (NJ)

Pulling Mike Leone out of New Jersey would be a big pickup for the Owls. He’s a highly regarded offensive line recruit who is currently committed to Yale, but his offer list seems to be growing quickly. Rice has beaten out Power 5 schools already to land some of their top members in the 2020 class. Snagging Leone would require some work, but Rice is certainly in the mix.

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