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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.

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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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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls offer 2021 QB Wyatt Begeal

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The first offer of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has been extended to Wyatt Begeal, a quarterback the Owls hope will be their future.

This is a big one. Rice football is two months away from the early signing period for their 2020 class. In the most recent recruiting cycle, the Owls didn’t extend their first offer to a high school junior until January.

That 2020 class is on track to be one of the best classes in program history. Their first commitment of that class, safety Plae Wyatt, didn’t make his pledge until the end of February. The highest-rated player to jump on board to this point, Sean Fresch, committed at the end of June. The 202o Rice football class isn’t done yet. The Owls have several additional targets in their sights  — more on that in a separate update soon.

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Not only is Rice setting a great pace with that strong class, but they’ve also kicked off the 2021 cycle with arguably their most important target: a quarterback. And not just any quarterback, Cibolo Steele’s dual-threat triggerman Wyatt Begeal.

First and foremost, Begeal is a playmaker. He threw for 2,100 yards as a sophomore. He kicked off his junior campaign with 1,384 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions with 420 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and tipping the scales at just under 200 pounds, he’s a compact, powerful athlete. And he’s the number one priority in the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class. The Owls will begin to extend other 2021 offers as it makes sense, but they’re hoping to get out in front of Wyatt’s recruitment and bring him aboard as the leader of this class and the Owls’ future.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Defensive end Jalen Reeves commits to Owls

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Prized defensive end target Jalen Reeves has committed to the Owls at the 2020 Rice football recruiting class continues to bring in elite talent.

The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class had plenty of skilled players. There were skill players like Khalan Griffin and Andrew Mason, defensive backs like Sean Fresch and Plae Wyatt and versatile athletes who will force their way onto the field somewhere like Devin Gunter and Cole Latos. But there wasn’t a top-flight pass-rushing defensive end.

Now there is. Florida defensive end Jalen Reeves has committed to Rice.

Reeves built a relationship with the Owls coaching staff over the summer. He was ready to commit to the Owls before he ever stepped foot on campus. Not only did Rice find a time to get him to South Main for the Baylor game; he committed on the spot.
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This is a huge get for Rice football. The Owls are no strangers to beating out Group of 5 programs, service academies and the Ivy League programs. Reeves had offers from all of those groups, but he also had offers from Boston College, NC State, Pitt, Syracuse and LSU. The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has taken the next step and is getting players sought after by elite college football programs across the nation.

With a little over two months until the early signing period, Rice has filled a little more than half of their class. Reeves’ addition puts the Owls at 14 commits and keeps them near the top of the 2020 Conference USA recruiting ranks.

Reeves was a sought after player for a reason. Those on staff view him as an “Anthony Ekpe 2.0” type of player. He has the power and the burst to move off blocks and get to the quarterback. Take a look at his highlights and smile. He’s going to be a fun one to watch at South Main for years to come.

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