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For the second straight season, Rice football has made a splash in the Transfer Portal at the spot head coach Mike Bloomgren often refers to as “the most important position in sports”: quarterback.
Last winter it was JT Daniels, whom Bloomgren had recruited from the eighth grade before finally landing as a grad transfer. This year it comes in the form of a transfer from within the AAC. Former Temple quarterback EJ Warner has committed to the Owls.
Warner, the son of former NFL MVP and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, will have multiple seasons of eligibility remaining when he arrives at South Main. He’ll bring with him a resume already overflowing with passing records.
As a true freshman in 2022, Warner completed 45-of-63 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns against ECU, setting the high water mark for passing yardage in a game in the FBS that season. By the conclusion of the 2023 season, he’d set the program record for 400-yard passing games (3) and completed more passes in a single game (42) than any other player in the FBS that season.
Warner was a preseason nominee for the Maxwell Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm watchlists. He then proceeded to lead the AAC in passing yards per game. Now he leaving the Temple Owls for the Rice Owls. This is a massive addition and a slam dunk get for Rice and one that could secure them a surefire answer at the position for at least the next two years.