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Rice Football Recruiting: Latest notes headed into 2021 Early Signing Period

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The Early Signing Period opens this week. Here’s where the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class stands before pens officially meet paper.

Commits will soon become signees this week as the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class begins to solidify. This update will have more on how many players Rice expects to sign and a few names to watch on the Transfer Portal front.

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

Subscribers will also have a live blog on Wednesday, as well as breakdowns of every position group. We’ll have reactions to any potential new names and commentary about the class as it continues to take shape. Once we’re through with the initial fireworks you’ll want to stay tuned for another episode of The Roost Podcast wrapping up the class, too. It’s going to be a busy week.

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Rice Football 2021 Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Jordan Dunbar

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After earning the starting job in fall camp, Jordan Dunbar proved to be one of the Owls’ most reliable defenders and an easy pick for 2021 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year.

Redshirt freshman corner Jordan Dunbar arrived on campus in 2020 but saw minimal action during his first season at South Main. He waited patiently, working to master his craft as he watched 2020 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year Miles Mccord patrol the sideline.

Dunbar’s name wasn’t listed on The Roost’s projected depth chart in the preseason, and that version went three levels deep. That iteration also included Tre’shon Devones and Jason White, both of which were injured and missed the season. Still, the relatively unassuming three-star signee from Iona Prep I’m New York was prepared to make a name for himself in Houston.

Regardless of who was ahead of him, Dunbar climbed, ascending past Andrew Bird and Lamont Narcisse until he reached what would eventually become a core three: Dunbar, McCord and Sean Fresch.

As Dunbar worked, eyeballs started to turn his way. They kept following him as coaches and players alike began to take notice of his development through a trying COVID year and into fall camp prior to the 2021 season. He might have been the most praised defensive player in fall camp and that glowing attention extended to the head coach himself.

“I think the whole [fall] camp, we’ve noticed how improved Jordan Dunbar is and how comfortable he is in this defense, and that’s been so fun for me to watch,” Bloomgren noted in the lead up to the season. “I don’t know if we have anybody in the program that’s grown more from one year to the next than Jordan Dunbar.”

When the season arrived, it was Dunbar’s turn to shine. And for as much respect as he received during the weeks prior to the season, the young cover man delivered. He was named the starter for the Rice football season opener against Arkansas and lined up opposite future first-round NFL Draft selection Treylon Burks. And Dunbar held his own.

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Fellow redshirt freshman Sean Fresch and Miles McCord battled it out for the other starting corner spot on the other side of the field, but Dunbar more or less was the first man to trot out onto the grass each and every Saturday.

From a scout team defensive back to CB1, Dunbar took advantage of his opportunity, leading all Owls’ in passes defended with seven in 12 games. His 29 tackles led all Rice corners. He wasn’t perfect, but for all the woes the Rice secondary battled throughout the year, Dunbar was one of the brightest spots.

In part because of the Owls’ coverage schemes as well as Dunbar’s own savvy, some of his best contributions are plays that didn’t make any highlight reels. His ability to take the outside receiver out of the play was superb. Few balls went over his head and when they did, he was usually sprinting stride for stride alongside its intended target, forcing receivers to make extremely difficult grabs.

Bloomgren again singled out Dunbar following the Owls’ Week 10 game against Charlotte, mentioning in his routine midweek press conference that Dunbar was among a select few players that might have “had their best performance in a Rice uniform.”

Dunbar took the comments in stride. “It means a lot to me because of how far I’ve come,” Dunbar said.”I’ve just had so much progression mentally and physically at this program. It means a lot to see your head coach give you a compliment like that.”

But that wasn’t quite the end of Dunbar’s humble acceptance of Bloomgren’s praise. His growth, and specifically the steps he believes he needs to take to continue to improve were at the forefront of his mind. He says he’s come a long way in his understanding of the scheme, learning how to watch film and refining the more mundane things like practice habits.

In some ways, he’s only scratched the surface of who he can be as a Rice football player. And that might be the best aspect Dunbar brings to the team right now. He’s a freshman starter hungry to grow. And the sky might just be his limit.

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The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Superlatives

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The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Superlatives exist to honor exceptional Owls who made a difference on the field this season. Here’s the complete list.

There were many individual performances worth recognizing in the 2021 Rice Football season. In addition to the more traditional awards below, make sure to check out The Roosties, our third annual award show from The Roost Podcast, which features a different angle of honors. From our favorite plays to the players that surprised us the most, we cover some of the more creative superlatives on the show.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year — WR Cedric Patterson | Full Story

Excerpt: “Unstoppable. That’s what it started to feel like when Patterson hauled in a pass with grass in front of him. The speed was always evident, but his maturation as a student of the game who knew where he was supposed to be and how to best execute his responsibility on any given play began to set him apart.”

Defensive Newcomer of the Year — CB Jordan Dunbar | Full Story 

Excerpt: “When the season arrived, it was Dunbar’s turn to shine. And for as much respect as he received during the weeks prior to the season, the young cover man delivered. He was named the starter for the Rice football season opener against Arkansas and lined up opposite future first-round NFL Draft selection Treylon Burks. And Dunbar held his own.”

Rising Star — RB Ari Broussard | Full Story 

Excerpt: “From walk-on, to ‘ol reliable, Ari Broussard exemplified a feel-good story, but made sure the heartwarming moments were filled with plenty of productivity. He earned his spot on offense and made the most of it.”

Sp. Teams Players of the Year  — KR Juma Otoviano, PR Sean Fresch | Full Story 

Excerpt: “Traditionally, The Roost’s Rice Football Special Teams Player of the Year has been reserved for one standout. Jack Fox, Garrett Grammer and Charlie Mendes were previous honorees. This year, we’ve expanded the award to recognize two individuals, Sean Fresch and Juma Otoviano, who each provided game-changing sparks that set Rice up for success and led to Rice wins.”

Offensive Player of the Year — RB Jordan Myers | Full Story

Excerpt: “By the time he hung up his cleats, Myers had graduated from being labeled as simply a utility player. He was someone Rice could count — and did count on — in the most crucial moments. Myers was the man handed the football on fourth and short and asked to find a yard. More often than not, he did.”

Defensive Player of the Year — DT Elijah Garcia | Full Story

Excerpt: “His play spoke for itself, but Garcia did a fair amount of talking, too. Although he wasn’t named one of the team captains during the preseason, Garcia was the man asked to take the mic frequently during postgame press conferences. On those hard nights, he showed composure and poise. He was a leader, on and off the field.”

Team MVP — WR Jake Bailey | Full Story

Excerpt: “Big might be the perfect word to describe the size at which Bailey played. Standing 5-foot-10, there were only five players on the roster with a listed height shorter than Bailey. Yet Bailey never let that stop him. If anything, his stature aided his quickness and made him just that more difficult to bring down in the open field.”

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Rice Football 2021 Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Cedric Patterson

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Cedric Patterson became a big-play machine for Rice football down the stretch, securing the award for 2021 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Two days after the Early Signing Period opened last December, Rice football added one last piece to its wintertime haul: Cedric Patterson. The New Mexico transfer and Crosby, Tx native was coming back to the Lone Star state after seeing sparing usage out West.

He entered what appeared to be a crowded Rice receiving room, somewhat tempering early expectations. The athletic profile was intriguing. The highlight plays were there. How quickly would Patterson be assimilated into the offense? That was the question at hand.

Patterson took full advantage of spring ball, doing all he could to master the complicated Rice offense. He was tucked behind the likes of Bradley Rozner, Jake Bailey and August Pitre on the depth chart, but he wasn’t going unnoticed. Rozner praised his speed during fall media days, calling Patterson “a vertical threat that can stop on a dime.” It turns out, Rozner was right.

After catching four passes in his first three games with Rice, Patterson took the top off the Texas Southern on a 73-yard bomb on the Owls’ first play from scrimmage. Patterson hadn’t recorded 73 yards in a collegiate game coming into that Saturday.

Patterson was oozing confidence following his breakout game. “I feel like everything’s starting to click now,” he said of the offense as a whole. “We’ve been learning and practicing and grinding in these first three weeks and now we’ve got everything in order. We’re finding our identity and who we are. The sky’s the limit.”

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There would be one more hiccup, but excluding a shutout on the road against UTSA and a mere 21-point outing against Western Kentucky, the Rice offense would amass at least 24 points in seven of their final nine games. And Patterson’s eruption against Texas Southern proved to just a sliver of the impact he would bring to the offense as the season progressed.

Patterson took a reverse 38-yards for a touchdown the following week against Southern Miss. He scored touchdowns in four of the Owls’ final five games, including the game-winning score against Louisiana Tech, his second trip to the endzone that afternoon. By season’s end, Patterson had more touchdowns than any Rice Owl not named Jordan Myers.

Through it all, he kept a quiet, humble demeanor as he worked to improve his game. It was in the days leading up to the finale against Louisiana Tech that he told the assembled media at a midweek press conference that he was “really trying to just know the playbook like I know my own name,” reasoning that “when you can go out there and play fast and play confidence, you’re pretty much unstoppable.”

Unstoppable. That’s what it started to feel like when Patterson hauled in a pass with grass in front of him. The speed was always evident, but his maturation as a student of the game who knew where he was supposed to be and how to best execute his responsibility on any given play began to set him apart.

When Jake Bailey went down against UTEP and Myers was banged up down the stretch, it was Patterson asked to be the guy who carried the passing game. And despite being tasked with catching passes from a myriad of different quarterbacks, Patterson was able to grab the proverbial baton and run with it.

Patterson embraced every moment. “We knew it was going to be on us,” he said of the receiving corps when the Owls entered the fourth quarter facing a double-digit deficit. “We don’t want it to be easy,” he continued. “We like it being exciting. It was fun, a test of our character, a test of our will. This is what we work for.”

As if it wasn’t obvious enough that Patterson welcomed the pressure. Patterson would close out his discussion of adversity like this: “We eat that for breakfast.”

Big moments. Big plays. All smiles. Cedric Patterson inked his name onto the Rice football depth chart and more than earned this year’s honors as the 2021 Rice Football Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

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What’s next? Joe Karlgaard talks Rice Football, Mike Bloomgren and the future

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Rice Athletic director Joe Karlgaard sat down with The Roost to discuss Mike Bloomgren, the 2021 Rice football season and the future of the Owls’ program.

It’s almost impossible to distill the 2021 Rice football season down to a single storyline, topic or number. For better or worse, the year was more complicated and unpredictable than many of the Owls’ faithful would have wished. The program found itself at a 4-8 record after the dust settled, prompting questions and a very real amount of soul searching.

What happened to a team that had bowl aspirations four months prior? And deeper still, will this team find its way again? Is Mike Bloomgren the right man for Rice football moving forward, and if so, why?

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There will be a much-too-long offseason to address those concerns. But before we get too far removed from the campaign in question, some immediate answers seemed prudent.

In an effort to get a clear snapshot of where the program is right now and why Rice fans should have faith in its future, I spent an hour with Rice Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard. What follows are some notes from our conversation, hopefully shedding some light on the program and digging into some of the hard questions it is understandably facing after an underwhelming season.

Hear from Karlgaard below, and stay tuned to The Roost for important recruiting updates regarding the Early Signing Period, postseason superlatives and more.

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