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Rice Football Recruiting: 2020 push continues into summer

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The summer is approaching and Rice football recruiting is picking up steam. The Owls are working hard to add a few of these additional top targets.

The last weeks of May have been spent on the road. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is making stops across Texas on the Coaches Caravan. He made an appearance on Dave Campbell’s Texas Campbell live show on Thursday, one of several stops along the way. The coaching staff is making their rounds too. Camps start in June, making the final days of May a critical recruiting window.

Putting a bow on 2019

After the addition of Harvard grad transfer Charlie Booker, Rice has filled up all but one spot in their 2019 class. That last spot will more than likely be reserved for a corner given the youth at the position right now. There are a few options in the market at the position, whomever the right fit, Rice wants to have the last scholarship accounted for in the next two weeks.

Current commits leading the charge in 2020

Rice has the top-ranked 2020 class in Conference USA and it stands to get even better. The staff is working their avenues to add more talent to the group, but so are the members of the 2020 class themselves. Longtime commit Plae Wyatt and recent addition Khalan Griffin have taken up vocal leadership positions with the class. They’re recruiting the recruits and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

New Caney’s Zion Childress has been a focal point of their efforts at wide receiver. He was on campus for the Blue and Gray Spring Game and has spoken highly of the staff and the current class. He’s made plans to be in attendance at the Addidas Three Stripe camp on June 1.

The Owls have been choosey with their spring offers, only handing out a handful as they work to build on a strong start. One of those key targets is California defensive end Lance Keneley. A coveted recruit with offers from the likes of Utah, Colorado, Duke,  Northwestern and Vanderbilt, Kenely remains interested in what Rice has to offer.

He hasn’t gone as far to narrow down his choices, but the appeal of a first-class degree and D1 football is at the front of his mind. He’s developing a great relationship with the coaching staff and hopes to get to campus soon.

Quarterbacks

Rice has been choosy with the 2020 quarterback class. They’ve been all over the country and have begun to trim the list of possibilities down. The Owls have extended offers to Fresno State commit Jaden Casey from California, who has reciprocated some interest. Florida passer Devon Lingle holds their other quarterback offer.

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Football: Former Harvard Running back Charlie Booker to transfer to Owls

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Former Harvard Crimson running back and Houston native, Charlie Booker has committed to play out his remaining eligibility with Rice football at South Main.

Mike Bloomgren spent the winter and early spring scouring the Transfer Portal in search of players who can provide an impact on the field immediately this coming season. After adding several graduate transfers in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day the Owls are working to put the finishing touches in place this spring.

There are a few loose ends to wrap up in the 2019 class, but Rice crossed one area of need off the list with the addition of former Harver running back Charlie Booker. The former Cy Ranch standout plans to join his former quarterback Tom Stewart at South Main in the fall.

A two-time team MVP and senior captain for the Crimson, Booker was a first-team All-Ivy League selection in 2017, racking up 733 yards and six touchdowns that season. In three seasons he amassed 1,230 yards and 10 scores. He fell into a timeshare role in 2018, but remained every bit as explosive. Rice has several shifty backs on the roster. Booker has some twitch, but more importantly, he runs hard north and south.

Booker’s addition gives the Owls a stable of talented running backs to lean on to support Bloomgren’s run-heavy scheme. That’s especially important given the offseason departures of Austin Walter (graduation) and Emmanuel Esukpa (transfer).

The new transfer will be aided by Aston Walter and Juma Otoviano. Freshman Jawan King could force his way into the mix as well. Having this many capable mouths to feed is a good problem to have. That’s especially true when two of those four horses are experienced veterans like Booker and Walter.

Standing 5-foot-9, Booker tips the scales right at 200 pounds but he plays big. He’s a candidate to be the most physical runner on the roster from day one. Just check out the first play on his highlight reel.

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Rice Football: 2020 RB Khalan Griffin commits to Owls

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The 2020 Rice Football recruiting class keeps adding playmakers, this time with the commitment of running back Khalan Griffin.

A strong start for the 2020 Rice football recruiting class keeps getting better. Already owners of one of the best classes in Conference USA, Rice is adding another weapon. The Owls have secured a  commitment from top running back target, Khalan Griffin.

Griffin’s stock exploded this spring. After picking up a handful of offers in prior months, Griffin garnered six offers in April alone. With offers from Rice, Dartmouth, Navy and Georgia Southern added to previous offers from Army, Air Force and Texas State, the race for the versatile athlete began to heat up.

Listed as an athlete, Griffin plays quarterback for the Brook Hill School in Bullard, Tx. His 4.5-type speed combined with his field vision make him an ideal candidate to transition to running back at the next level. That’s where the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Griffin will play at South Main.

Griffin marks yet another three-star recruit who’s made a pledge to Rice in the 2020 class. He joins safety Plae Wyatt, and offensive lineman Brady Feeney and Braedon Nutter. The Owls inked 10 3-star players in the 2019 class, they’ve almost reached the halfway mark to that number and the summer hasn’t even arrived.

More: Owls’ 2020 class beginning to take shape

For Griffin, the Owls were the easy favorite. “I loved everything about it,” he said following his visit to campus for the Rice Football Blue and Gray spring game, citing positive conversations for offensive coordinator Jerry Mack and head coach Mike Bloomgren. He was ecstatic about how Mack described his potential in the Rice offense, profiling as a do-it-all offensive weapon along the lines of former Owls’ running back Austin Walter.

The Rice offense needs explosiveness and top-end, something Griffin possesses in bunches. His athleticism behind a retooled offensive line are going to make this offense fun to watch in the coming years. This is the kind of player you want to feed the football early an often.

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Jack Fox vs Dustin Colquitt: Evaluating the Kansas City Chiefs punters

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Undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jack Fox signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’ll battle veteran Dustin Colquitt for the punting job.

Jack Fox made waves with his impressive senior season at Rice. Now he’s on to the NFL where he’ll attempt to earn himself a spot on the roster of the Kansas City Chiefs. The limited roster room leads few NFL teams to carry multiple punters. If Fox is going to stay on with the Chiefs, he’ll most likely have to beat out veteran punter Dustin Colquitt.

Colquitt has 15 years of NFL experience, all with the Chiefs, and recently signed a 3-year, $7.5 Million extension in 2018. He’s due $4.5 Million over the next two seasons; Fox signed a 3-year deal which will pay him $1.765 Million over the next three seasons. From a purely financial perspective, Fox has a much more affordable deal.

More: The incredible story of Jack Fox

Fox has a good financial case, but that’s only going to come into play if he can produce on the field in camp. The Chiefs will get a look at both guys in person, for now, we’ll have to settle with a snapshot of how each player faired last season — Colquitt with Kansas City and Fox with Rice.

2018 Stats

Player Colquitt Fox
Games 16 13
Punts 45 80
Yards 2,021 3,636
Avg 44.9 45.5
Long 67 76
TB 5 13
In20 21 31
Net 40.5 40.1

The Kansas City offense was so effective last year Colquitt posted a career-low 45 punts. The Rice offense was not as efficient, providing Fox plenty of opportunities. Fox led the nation in punting yardage and matched up favorably with Colquitt across the board in most major statistics.

On paper, Fox absolutely has a chance to make the team. The Chiefs gave him guaranteed money, which indicates they think he’s got a good shot to stick around. If he doesn’t make the roster, he’ll be a practice squad player and have more opportunities to kick in the NFL down the road.

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Jack Fox agrees to free agent deal with Chiefs

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After being passed over in the 2019 NFL Draft, former Rice Football punter Jack Fox has signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fox had his tv turned on when the draft began on Thursday and stayed tuned in throughout the coverage into the weekend. He’s always been a football fanatic. He would have been following the draft regardless of which directions his career path led him. This year was different.

This year he’s met some of the guys who heard their names called, guys like 49ers fourth-round pick former Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Like Wishnowsky, the players chosen by NFL teams are no larger than life characters for Fox, they’re friends and colleagues. After a strenuous pre-draft process, Fox’s childhood dream of playing in the NFL is starting to get closer and closer to becoming reality.

More: The incredible story of Jack Fox

When Saturday rolled around, Fox’s heart undoubtedly began to beat a little bit faster. Home with his family and close friends, Fox waited for the call.

Fox would have to wait until the final player was drafted before he learned where he would be playing his professional football. The focal point of several post-draft suitors, Fox was able to find the best spot for him. After weighing his options, Fox signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

A half dozen NFL teams sent personnel to Houston for private workouts with Fox before the draft. The Cheifs were not among that group, but present an opportunity for Fox who is ready for the challenge.

“I’m pretty tired of the anticipation and ready to get to work,” admitted Jack Fox in the days leading up to the NFL Draft. Now, after weeks of workouts, interviews and meetings it’s finally time for Fox to get back to what he knows best: football.

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