The source for Rice sports news

  • Football
    • Recruiting
    • Offer Tracker
    • Roster
    • Schedule
    • NFL Owls
  • Premium
    • Patreon
    • Season Preview
    • Join / FAQ
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Store
    • News
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • About
    • Contact
  • Login

Rice Football: 5 Position battles to watch in fall camp

August 9, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

Five position battles have been a focal point of Rice Football fall camp. Here’s where the Owls stand at those key spots after the first week of camp.

1. Wide receiver

The suspension of Aaron Cephus left Rice in a tough spot at the wide receiver position. Austin Trammell will push 100 targets, but the rest of the depth chart is going to be asked to step up. August Pitre and Brad Rozner started camp with the first team.

When the team goes to split squad practice, freshman Zane Knipe works with the veterans. Jake Bailey is with the second team at the moment, but he stands out as the best player at his position in that group.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Trammell, Rozner, Pitre

2. Offensive line

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

Three grad transfers in the mix make the offensive line one of the most competitive races of camp. The only position that is definitively set in stone is left tackle, where Clay Servin returns as the team’s top starter. Nick Leverett, Brian Chaffin and Cole Garcia are fighting it out for the two interior guard spots with Shea Baker the presumptive favorite to stick at center.

Learn more about each of these challengers by reading their player profiles in our 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, on sale now.

The most competitive race will come at right tackle where Uzoma Osuji and Ouachita Baptist transfer Justin Gooseberry are dueling for the starting role.

Projected starters against Army as of today: From left to right – Servin, Leverett, Baker, Garcia, Gooseberry

3. Quarterback

Wiley Green has had the inside track on the starting job in 2019 since the end of last season. He performed reasonably well in the spring and has continued to progress through fall camp. But, just like last year, the Owls brought in a grad transfer at the position to push their incumbent starter.

Through the first week of camp, it’s looking like Tom Stewart is the real deal. It was never a given that Green would be the de facto starter against Army, but recent developments make me believe this competition is going to very real and quite contentious. Stewart’s progress, plus the arrival of Jovoni Johnson could see this race draw out til the final days of camp.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Green

4. Special Teams

While the rest of the aforementioned position battles project to be close, each of them features some sort of frontrunner rather by way of seniority or familiarity with the Owls’ schemes. Two of the most prominent special teams jobs are wide open.

Adam Nunez and Chris Barnes have both had strong fall camps at punter. Nunez was a multi-year starter at TCU; Barnes sat behind current-NFLer Jack Fox. There’s probably not a wrong answer here. The kicker spot features more uncertainty. Will Harrison has experience but wasn’t accurate this spring. Incoming freshman Zach Hoban has an impressive highlight reel, but he’s never produced at the college level.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Punter – Adam Nunez, Kicker – Zach Hoban

5. Corner

The emergence of Andrew Bird late last season was huge for the Owls’ secondary which lost several veterans this offseason. Back alongside Bird are D’Angelo Ellis and Tyrae Thornton, both of whom have had their ups and downs. One of the two is going to start opposite Bird out the gate. Who that will be remains to be seen. This is one of the spots where we could see freshmen emerge early to play meaningful snaps.

Projected starters against Army as of today: Bird, Ellis

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • AAC Baseball sends UTSA, ECU to NCAA Tournament
  • Rice Athletics Roundup: May Subscriber Q&A
  • “So Many Things to Address”: Rice Baseball and David Pierce Embark on Crucial Offseason
  • Rice Baseball season ends with AAC Tournament loss to FAU

Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured Tagged With: Adam Nunez, August Pitre, Austin Trammell, Bradley Rozner, Brian Chaffin, Chris Barnes, Clay Servin, Justin Gooseberry, Nick Leverett, practice notes, Rice Football, Shea Baker, Tom Stewart, Uzoma Osuji, Wiley Green, Zach Hoban

2019 Rice Football Season Preview by The Roost

July 8, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

 

The staff of The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, a 143-page digital magazine detailing everything you could imagine about the Owls’ upcoming season.

This preview is the culmination of months of research, interviews and analysis. Consider it your one-stop-shop as you prepare for the Owls’ 2019 season.

Available as a downloadable PDF for on-the-go access, this preview contains the following:

1. A breakdown of every position group on the team

Who are the favorites to start entering fall camp? What sort of production should you expect from returning starters? Which of the incoming transfer players should make their mark the quickest? Answers to all of those questions are included, as well as notes on every single player on the 102-man roster.

2. An exclusive interview with head coach Mike Bloomgren

We sat down with coach to get his honest evaluation of where the Rice football program is right now and how he views the progress the team is making as they approach 2019. He’s sticking to a process, one which he remains confident will bring success to South Main.

3. Previews of each 2019 opponent and all 14 CUSA Teams

Supported by local beat writers and experts who cover each team, this section has a wealth of knowledge about every CUSA Team and all the Owls’ 2019 opponents.

Rice fans will want to familiarize themselves with the teams they’ll be facing this year. Get to know which players each squad will have to replace, which newcomers could make noise in 2019 and what outstanding questions those in the know have about their respective squads.

4. A complete 2019 Conference USA Football Preview

Available separately to purchase, everyone who purchases the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview will also get The Roost’s 2019 Conference USA Football Preview. We made our picks for preseason honors, top games to watch in 2019 and a closer look at how every team in the conference stacks up.

Don’t need any more convincing? Get a copy for yourself today

Buy Now

 

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • AAC Baseball sends UTSA, ECU to NCAA Tournament
  • Rice Athletics Roundup: May Subscriber Q&A
  • “So Many Things to Address”: Rice Baseball and David Pierce Embark on Crucial Offseason
  • Rice Baseball season ends with AAC Tournament loss to FAU

Filed Under: Featured, Football Tagged With: Adam Nunez, Adrian Bickham, Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe, Antonio Montero, Ari Broussard, Aston Walter, August Pitre, Austin Conrad, Austin Trammell, Ayden Noriega, Bennett Mecom, Blaze Alldredge, Bradley Rozner, Brandt Peterson, Brendan Suckley, Brian Chaffin, Cam Montgomery, Cam Riddle, Cameron Valentine, Charlie Booker, Charlie Mendes, Chike Anigbogu, Chris Barnes, Chris Boudreaux, Clay Servin, Cole Elms, Cole Garcia, Collin Whitaker, Connor Hughes, D'Angelo Ellis, Dasharm Newsome, De'Braylon Carroll, Derek Ferraro, Dylan James, Dylan Silcox, Edmond Lahlouh, Elijah Garcia, Evan Marshman, Garrett Braden, Garrett Grammer, George Nyakwol, Hunter Hanley, Hunter Henry, Hunter Jones, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Richardson, Izeya Floyd, Jack Bradley, Jacob Doddridge, Jacob Grams, Jaeger Bull, Jake Bailey, JaQuez Battley, Jashon Palmer, Jason White, JaVante Hubbard, Jawan King, Jerry Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, Jordan Myers, Josh Landrum, Josh Pearcy, Jovoni Johnson, Juma Otoviano, Justin Gooseberry, Kebreyun Page, Kenneth Orji, Kirk Lockhart, Luke Armstrong, Matthew Sams, Miles Adams, Miles Mccord, Myles Adams, Myron Morrison, Naeem Smith, Nahshon Ellerbe, Nick Leverett, Nick McQuarry, Nick Wagman, Parker Towns, Prudy Calderon, Reagan Williams, Regan Riddle, Rhett Cardwell, Rice Football, Robbie Blosser, Robert French, Sam Glaesmann, Shea Baker, Tom Stewart, Tre'shon Devones, Treshawn Chamberlain, Trey Schuman, Tyrae Thornton, Uzoma Osuji, Wiley Green, Will Harrison, Will Martinez, Zach Hoban, Zane Knipe

Rice Football: 5 predictions following end of spring practices

April 16, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

With spring practices in the books, Rice football begins to look ahead at the 2019 season in earnest. Here are five predictions for the Owls this fall.

1. QB1 will be Wiley Green

Mike Bloomgren has options, but none of them look better than Wiley Green right now. The sophomore signal caller had a bit of a slow spring, but so did his offensive line and most of his pass catchers. As the offense progresses his natural talent will come through and he’ll be named the starting quarterback, quite possibly much sooner than Bloomgren made an official statement on the matter last season.

2. The tight ends double their production in 2019

Jordan Myers and Jaeger Bull combined for a pedestrian 20 receptions for 267 yards and two touchdowns last season. That was the totality of the production contributed from the tight end position, something which should change drastically this coming fall. A host of tight ends saw significant run this spring including fresh faces like Jonathan Sanchez, Brendan Suckley and Robert French. Those three, plus Myers and Bull simply must blow the top off last year’s numbers.

3. Blaze Alldredge leads the team in tackles

This one seems like a no-brainer. After watching the entire linebacking corps fly around the field this spring the favorites to lead the team in tackles have to be Antonio Montero and Blaze Alldredge. I flipped a coin.

4. At least one of the starting specialists aren’t on campus yet

The absence of Jack Fox and Haden Tobola was notable this spring. The kicking game got off to a slow start and remained inconsistent during spring ball. A few guys had a crack at the placekicking job, but not did enough to put themselves ahead of the pack. That bodes well for incoming kicker Zach Hoban, who blasted a 60-yard field goal from the star in Dallas Cowboy Stadium following an event this winter.

The starting punting job will be a battle between Chris Barnes and incoming TCU transfer Adam Nunez. Barnes has been solid this spring, and it’s no guarantee he gives up the job. Nunez wasn’t brought in to ride the pine, though. That’s a battle that will take place in fall camp.

5. Rice isn’t done with the Transfer Portal

Depth was a major hurdle for the Owls this spring. Practices were cut short because there weren’t enough guys able to go and those who were still moving around had been worked to the brink of exhaustion. The depth will get better when the bulk of the 2019 recruiting class arrives this summer, but there is still room for a capable veteran or two to balance out what is already an extremely young nucleus.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • AAC Baseball sends UTSA, ECU to NCAA Tournament
  • Rice Athletics Roundup: May Subscriber Q&A
  • “So Many Things to Address”: Rice Baseball and David Pierce Embark on Crucial Offseason
  • Rice Baseball season ends with AAC Tournament loss to FAU

Filed Under: Featured, Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Blaze Alldredge, Jaeger Bull, Jordan Myers, Rice Football, Wiley Green, Zach Hoban

  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3
  4. Item 4
  5. Item 5
  • Jack Ben-Shoshan, Rice Baseball
  • Rice Football
  • Rice Baseball, David Pierce
  • Rice Football
  • “He’s a Bulldog”: Parker Smith’s Journey to Rice Baseball Ace
Become a patron at Patreon!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter