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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 P/K Reese Keeney commits to Owls

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The first specialist is on board in the 2023 Rice Football recruiting class. Punter/Kicker Reese Keeney has committed to the Owls.

Scholarships for specialists don’t grow on trees. That’s what makes the most recent commitment to the 2023 Rice football recruiting class most notable. A dual-skilled punter and kicker, Farragut (TN) product Reese Keeney has committed to the Owls.

Keeney was one of two specialists that picked up offers from the Owls this month. He quickly took Rice up on their bid, making his pledge official two weeks later.

Noted kicking specialist Chris Sailer had high praise for Keeney. In Sailer’s profile on Keeney, he calls him “an outstanding kicker” who “hits a clean ball and easily has 50+ yard range.” He also noted that Keeney “excels at directional punting” and can handle kickoffs as well.

The kicking game was an adventure for Rice football last fall, so the renewed emphasis on finding a longer-term solution at the position seems prudent. Rice brought in several options for the 2022 season, but isn’t leaving the future to chance, either.

Keeney is the 14th commitment in the 2023 Rice football recruiting class that has picked up significant steam this summer. He’s the first — and likely last — specialist.

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For those who don’t spend hours grinding punter and kicker tape, the highlights should suffice. Keeney puts his field goals between the pipes and boots his punts down the field.

During his junior season, Keeney averaged 39.5 yards per punt with a long of 62 yards. He placed 15 of his 40 punts inside the 20. He’s converted 74-of-76 extra-point tries (97.4 percent) in his high school career and made 6-of-12 field goals (50 percent), including a long of 43 yards this past season.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 DL Chris Clark commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class added its first defensive pledge in the trenches. Defensive lineman Chris Clark has committed to the Owls.

After stockpiling a small army along the offensive front, the focus of the 2023 Rice football recruiting class has pivoted back toward the other side of the football. With five offensive lineman already committed, Rice has landed their first pledge from a defensive lineman in this cycle. Furr High School product Chris Clark has committed to the Owls.

Clark was initially offered by Southeast Missouri on May 12, but picked up his Rice offer shortly afterward on May 17. He also had offers from Air Force and Alabama State by the end of June when he decided he was ready to pull the trigger and proclaim his allegiance to Rice.

The addition of Clark wraps up one of the most productive June recruiting months in recent Rice football recruiting history.

The 2023 Rice football recruiting class picked up six public commitments in throughout the month, even though MacArthur CB AJ Stephens, the first commitment of the month, didn’t announce his decision until June 9. The remaining five commitments transpired in the span of 15 days. The class now sits at 13 commitments.

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While Clark’s offer list isn’t too exciting, his film speaks for itself. For a man of his size (6-foot-6, 251 pounds, he flashes some burst. Clark profiles as an interior player at the collegiate level, but he told The Roost he’s comfortable lining up everyone along the line and particularly enjoys playing defensive end.

Watching him combine speed power and some nimble feet to find ways into the offensive backfield is exciting. Clark is versatile, a coveted trait among the Rice coaching staff and one that should serve him well at South Main in the future.

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Rice Football 2022 Season Preview: Tight Ends

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As part of our 2022 Rice Football Preseason Preview series, this week we’ll dive into the tight end position and discuss the Owls’ plans for that group on the offense this season.

The tight end position has played a pivotal role in the Rice football offense, which is rooted in the old Stanford scheme that saw the rise of playmakers at the position like Zach Ertz, Coby Fleener, Austin Hooper and Dalton Schultz. NFL talent at the position certainly makes things easier, but that’s not the only factor that might see this position group utilized slightly differently than they’ve been in years past. Here’s our 2022 Tight End Preview.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2022 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today. New subscribers get our Conference USA Football Season Preview for FREE! 

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Rice Football: What to expect from the kicking game — Patreon Q&A

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The kicking game was an adventure for Rice football last season. Will it be better this year? We tackle that question in this month’s Patreon Q&A.

Rice football made five field goals last season, the fewest in all of college football. Their 45.5 percent conversion rate on their 11 tries was dead last in the FBS. Quite literally, there is nowhere to go but up. But what does that look like? We tackle what Rice has done to address the kicking game in this month’s Patreon Q&A.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2023 TE James Falk commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up its first commitment from a tight end. Haverford (PA) product James Falk has committed to the Owls.

The summer air isn’t the only thing heating up in Houston right now. The 2023 Rice football recruiting class picked up its third commitment in the span of three days following a busy camp weekend at South Main. Tight end James Falk was in town for the camp and has since made his pledge public, announcing his commitment to the Owls on Wednesday.

Rice was the first FBS school to offer Falk, doing so roughly one month prior to his commitment in mid-May. He received a few FCS offers in the month that followed before picking up an offer from in-state Temple on June 13. But then he made the trek down south to visit Rice and couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else.

Falk told The Roost he “didn’t get that same feeling at some of the other schools” he visited, saying he could see himself “living and breathing it every day” at Rice. Falk was excited to get a sneak peek with working with tight ends coach Jim Jackson who led some position drills over the weekend.

The 2023 Rice football recruiting class has now reached 12 commitments, adding five in the month of June and seven since May 1. It’s been an extremely productive summer for the Owls, who don’t look to be easing up anytime soon.

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Falk shines on film, making plays from an in-line position, a rare find in today’s high school football landscape. His 6-foot-6, 226-pound frame gives him a size advantage across the middle of the field and he flashed some run blocking ability as well. That versatility is something Falk prides himself in. Between the blocking, the hands and the measurables, Falk has the characteristics the Owls want. He’ll have a real chance to develop into a difference-maker at the position at South Main.

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