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Rice Football Recruiting: Owls in the midst of productive Junior Days

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class is picking up steam. The spring has brought three commitments and more could be on the way after a few official visit weekends.

The winter has barely dissipated and Rice football has already broken the ice on what could be a historic signing class. Not to be hyperbolic, but that’s the sort of trajectory that’s been set by the Owls’ first four commitments.

Safety Plae Wyatt, offensive lineman Braedon Nutter and Brady Feeney and newest commit Nate Kamper have already raised the bar. Wyatt, Nutter and Feeney rate as three of the four highest-rated players Rice has signed since 2015. Kamper is a 6-foot-6 matchup nightmare in the slot and the Owls’ coaching staff is working on reeling in more big fish.

March Junior Day

Rice hosted a dozen or so 2019 recruits at the end of March including Wyatt and Nutter, both of whom gave rousing endorsements of the weekend. It was more than just the committed guys who liked what they saw. So did Kamper, who was back on campus a week and a half later before committing on April 3.

Hightower athlete Kobie Campbell was impressed with the facilities and the personability of the Rice staff. Notre Dame Prep (Az) linebacker Brock Locnikar praised the dedication to improvement and the #IntellectualBrutality culture. Both players are firmly in the crosshairs of the Rice staff as are a few other notable names who were on campus that weekend like St. Thomas offensive lineman Tommy Brandt and Hendrickson defensive lineman Gabriel Hunter.

April Junior Day

Rice will bring in another group of 2020 recruits this coming weekend, too. Sage Ennis, a top 25 tight ranked tight end from Lincoln High School in Florida, will be in attendance as will playmaking Tomball Memorial wide receiver Logan Kyle. A teammate of current Rice commit Braedon Nutter, Kyle’s offer list is blowing up, but remains interested in what the Owls have to offer.

On the defensive line, Desert Ridge High School (AZ) product Joquari Price is making the trip east to Texas and Louisiana native Noah Taliancich from Destrehan High School will make the trip west. At least for this weekend, all roads seem to lead to Houston.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 Tight end Nate Kamper commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class keeps getting better and better thanks to the addition of Killeen, Texas tight end Nate Kamper.

A year ago the dream of playing D1 college football wasn’t on Nate Kamper’s radar. Maybe he had thought about it from time to time, but the Killeen, Texas product wasn’t on anyone’s radar before his junior season. When Rice saw the film he rocketed up their boards quickly. He’s been a priority in the 2020 class from the start. Now he’s a Rice Owl.

Kamper stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 200 pounds. He’s a pass catching threat up the middle who can create mismatches with any combination of linebackers and safeties tasked with guarding him one on one. He’s a bit leaner than the other tight ends on the roster right now, but given some time in the weight room with Hans Straub and he’ll be even more physically imposing. That should scare other CUSA squads.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren has stressed speed and size in his quest to instill Intellectual Brutality at Rice. Kamper checks both of those boxes at a position of significance for an offensive like Bloomgren wants to run.

While the other three recruits in the 2020 class had already turned some heads on somewhat of a larger scale, Kamper could be the “diamond in the rough” type player other coaches kick themselves for missing later on. The fourth commit in a growing 2020 class, Kamper turned down offers from SMU and UTSA to play at South Main.

Kamper said the level of care head coach Mike Bloomgren and his staff had for the program was evident. Like several other recruits before him, the vision for Rice football was easy to understand and easy to get behind. Those close to Kamper had indicated he wanted this process wrapped up before his senior year began in the fall. Well, it’s April, and Rice has another top target in the fold.

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Rice Football Recruiting 2020 Commitment Tracker

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class is beginning to take shape. Here’s where the class currently stands with live updates with each commitment.

2020 Class Positional Breakdowns – Offense and Special Teams | Defense
Player Pos. Hometown / School Commit Date Signed?
Andrew Awe LB Mansfield, Tx 2/3/2020  —
Jaren Banks LB NM Military Inst.(JUCO) 2/3/2020  Yes
Kobie Campbell RB Missouri City, TX 4/9/2019  Yes
Caleb Chappelle WR The Woodlands, TX 2/2/2020  —
Mike Collins* QB TCU (Grad) 12/17/2019  Yes
Jonah Doddridge DB Southlake, TX 2/2/2020  —
Jordan Dunbar CB Tarrytown, NY 6/22/2019  Yes
Terreance Ellis LB Pearland, TX 1/22/2020  —
Sean Fresch CB Austin, TX 6/29/2019  Yes
Khalan Griffin RB Tyler, TX 5/2/2019  Yes
Michael Haack WR El Paso, TX 12/28/2019  —
Geron Hargon  LB Shreveport, LA 6/22/2019  Yes
Van Heitmann DL Houston, TX 2/5/2020  —
Brian Hibbard FB Baton Rouge, LA 4/11/2019  —
Caleb James DL Houston, TX 2/5/2020  —
Nate Kamper TE Fort Hood, TX 4/3/2019  Yes
Cole Latos DE Allen, TX 6/24/2019  Yes
Mike Leone OL Princeton, NJ 12/16/2019  Yes
Payton Lovell OL Trophy Club, TX 2/1/2020  —
Andrew Mason WR Spring Hill, TN 6/11/2019  Yes
TJ McMahon* QB Cerritos (JUCO) 12/9/2019  Yes
Christian McStravick WR Boston College (Transfer) 5/5/2020 Yes
Lamont Narcisse CB Calabasas, CA 2/5/2020  Yes
Braedon Nutter OL Tomball, TX 3/23/2019  Yes
Trey Phillippi OL Montgomery, TX 6/14/2019  Yes
Collin Riccitelli K Stanford (Grad) 2/2/2020  Yes
Jalen Reeves DE Hollywood, FL 9/22/2019  Yes
Adam Sheriff* OL Butler (JUCO) 12/15/2019  Yes
Charlie Stone OL Austin, TX 2/4/2020  —
Gabe Taylor CB Miami, FL 2/5/2020  Yes
Casey Tawa WR West Linn, OR 12/28/2019  —
Jovaun Woolford* OL Colgate (Grad) 12/10/2019  Yes
Plae Wyatt S McKinney, TX 2/28/2019  Yes

*Denotes an early enrollee

This is the latest verbally committed players for the Rice Football 2020 recruiting classes. The list will be updated to reflect the Owls’ current commitments as information comes in. More information on the 2019 Rice Football recruiting class is available here.

Each profile was written at the time of the commitment. Some secondary details may have changed, but player information and analysis remains relevant. As available, each profile will include relevant highlights and news regarding each recruit.

Important dates to know

The early signing period takes place from December 18 to December 20. The Owls signed a large portion of their 2019 class early and expect to do the same in 2020. Recruits who don’t sign will wait until National Signing Day which falls on the first Wednesday of February.

What if this list doesn’t match a major recruiting service?

Recruiting services such as 247 and Rivals typically prioritize the highest-rated players. It’s not uncommon for 2-star and even 3-star players to not be accounted for immediately. The delay could become even more significant following 247’s changes to their recruiting model for the coming 2019 year. Players won’t be considered for their composite ranking until they get a ranking by 247 themselves. The list above includes walk ons.

All football recruiting updates are maintained on our recruiting page. More timely updates can be found by following The Roost on Twitter and Facebook. Have questions? Reach out on either of those platforms, post in The Aviary, or shoot us a message using the contact form.

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Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Matthew Aribisala

Rice Football Recruiting: DL Matthew Aribisala commits to Owls

Posted: May 16, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class continues beefing up its haul in the defensive trenches. Defensive lineman Matthew Aribisala has committed to the Owls. The finishing touches to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class are being made as the calendar bleeds into mid-May and players will soon be on campus for summer workouts. Before that […]

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Rice Football Recruiting: RB Carson Morgan commits to Owls

Posted: May 13, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up another boost in their skill position ranks. Former Kansas running back Carson Morgan has committed to the Owls. Bolstering the running back room was one of the most evident objectives when it came to rounding out the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class and prepping the roster […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, David Kasemervisz

Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls

Posted: May 6, 2025

A Texas product is returning home as a member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Stanford wideout David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls. The recent run of pledges to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, serving as the final additions to the roster before the season arrives this fall, maintained its momentum […]

 

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Rice Football: Offensive lineman Brady Feeney commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class picked up another huge addition with the commitment of offensive lineman Brady Feeney.

Winning in the trenches has been the standard from the first day Mike Bloomgren arrived on campus. It’s no surprise then that he’s building on a strong 2019 class of big men in the trenches with a second impactful offensive lineman in the 2010 class.

A day after landing a commitment from Tomball offensive lineman Braedon Nutter, Rice doubled down up front. St. Louis, MO offensive lineman Brady Feeney has committed to the Owls. 247 Sports rates him as the No. 56 guard in the nation, but he has the power and foot skills to play either tackle position. It’s well within the realm of possibility that he forces his way into the starting lineup across from Clay Servin.

Athletically Feeney is everything you’d want in an offensive lineman. Standing 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, he measures up well with everyone currently on the Rice roster. For someone of that size, he can move with balance and push defenders around, almost at will.

There will be some technical aspects of his game to clean up as he assimilates into the Owls’ scheme, but as a pure prospect, there’s a ton to like about Feeney’s game. He was one of the high priority guys from the start of Rice’s 2020 push. Getting a commitment from him in the spring is icing on the cake.

His commitment brings the 2020 class up to three, all three-star rated recruits, all in the running to be some of the highest rated commitments Rice has seen in the past five years. A strong senior season from Feeney could propel him even higher.

No matter where the rankings fall, Feeney is another high-talent, instant impact player who will make a difference at South Main quickly.

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Rice Football: Offensive lineman Braedon Nutter commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice football recruiting class has gotten off to a great start with Braedon Nutter joining safety Plae Wyatt as the initial members of the Owls’ next class.

Big things are happening at South Main. As Rice begins to grow the third recruiting class of the Mike Bloomgren era the word seems to have gotten out. High-caliber players from around the state are flocking to Houston. Offensive lineman Braedon Nutter was the latest to buy in to the vision, committing to play his college ball for the Rice Owls.

Nutter is a perception-changing commitment for Rice. The program had finished near the bottom of the conference in recruiting over the last several years prior to Bloomgren’s arrival. But with two highly regarded in state commitments already, things are changing.

At the time of his commitment, the 6-foot-3, 287-pound lineman held offers from Houston, Tulsa, UAB, Air Force, Army, a host of Ivy League schools and Colorado. He has more than a dozen offers under his belt, but Rice has won the battle for his services.

A two-way player in high school, Nutter is being slotted in on the offensive side of the ball. He’s been pegged as a center, but could move down the line or back to defense depending on need. A mauler in the trenches, Nutter is as physical as they come. He embodies everything about the culture of Intellectual Brutality that Bloomgren is seeking to build at Rice.

There aren’t many programs in Conference USA beating out Pac-12 programs for recruits. And if the trajectory of the Owls’ first two commitments continues, he might not be the last. Let’s just say the future is as bright as it’s been in a while at South Main. Watch Nutter’s film for yourself. He’s not going to get moved out of the way very often. He’ll be the one lowering the shoulder and delivering a big blow.

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