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Rice Football 2024 Spring Notebook 8: Defensive Takeaways

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A veteran Rice football defense showcased plenty of up-and-coming talent. Here’s what we learned from that side of the ball during spring practices.

The offense won the first scrimmage, but it was the Rice football defense that stood tall in the spring game, stonewalling the Owls’ best offensive weapons when pitting best against best. What did we learn about the defensive side of the ball and which players positioned themselves the best for the upcoming fall season?

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Personnel evolution

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Rice Football Recruiting: RB D’Andre Hardeman commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has doubled in size, adding its second commitment in the form of North Shore running back D’Andre Hardeman.

A highly attended spring game has paid its first dividend. Days removed from dozens of high school players descending on South Main, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has added another piece. North Shore running back D’Andre Hardeman has committed to the Owls.

When he arrives at Rice, Hardeman will join up with teammate and current Rice signee Lavonte Johnson, who signed with the Owls on National Signing Day. Both players were offered on the same day in late January. Now both will suit up for the Blue and Gray. There’s also the notable link between Rice linebackers coach Jon Kay, who came to Rice last season after a successful coaching career at North Shore.

Hardeman, the son of former Texas A&M running back Tiki Hardeman, was by no means flying under the radar since then. The Owls were one of almost a dozen offers he received. He eventually picked Rice over offers from UTSA, UTEP, Arkansas State, UTEP and others.

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class now consists of Hardeman and Madison Prep (LA) athlete Semaj Pierre, who was the first to pledge to the Owls in this cycle, doing so back in the summer of 2023.

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The 5-foot-8, 180-pound runner put up video game numbers on one of the best teams in the state of Texas, tallying 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns last season alone and the film matches the boxscore. He’s an explosive runner with great vision, showcasing the patience to make the right cut and quickly climbing to the second level. He’ll be set to flourish in the Owls’ offensive scheme.

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Defense shines, Offense responds in 2024 Rice Football Spring Game

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Rice Football concluded its spring practices with the annual Blue and Gray Spring Game. Here’s what we learned from the exhibition on Saturday.

A productive spring for Rice football wrapped up on Saturday afternoon at Historic Rice Stadium. By score, the offense defeated the defense 48-23, but the real story was a dominant defensive showing by the Owls’ starters with some encouraging moments from some playmakers on both sides and a strong finish by potential starting quarterback EJ Warner. Here’s what we learned on Saturday:

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Defense shines

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Rice Football 2024 Spring Practice Notebook 6: Wideout Roundup

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Wide receiver has been an interesting position to follow in Rice football spring practice. What have we learned from the relatively young room?

It’s been a spring of change for the Rice football wide receivers. Bobby Kennedy is the Owls’ only new position coach, taking over in the room for Mike Kershaw, who departed in the winter. Also on the way out is standout Luke McCaffrey, a likely NFL Draft selection in a few weeks. Where does that leave the rest of the room? In the midst of change lies an opportunity several have used to their advantage.

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Fresh eyes

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Rice Football 2024 Spring Practice Notebook 5: Scrimmage 2

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The defense punched back in the second scrimmage of Rice football spring practices, dominating the afternoon after the offense started the week strong.

On a beautiful spring afternoon, the Rice football defense roared back to life in the second scrimmage of spring practices, emphatically declaring their preeminence against the offenses’ best. In the words of head coach Mike Bloomgren, it was “complete domination to start” with the offense not really showing much life until later in the session. Here are the standouts, impact plays, stat lines and more from Scrimmage 2:

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“Nobody could move the ball on them”

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