Now that signing day has come and passed we now know who the incoming freshmen will be. With the 19 high school seniors who signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, we saw Rice fill a lot of key needs and add depth to an improving team.
They signed 18 players from the state of Texas and also nabbed the No. 1 ranked defensive line prospect out of Canada in Christian Covington.
So we’ll take a look at the 2011 class for Rice with analyst Nate Griffin, who covers Rice Owls football for Comcast Sports Southwest and IMG.
We will both share our thoughts on a few topics to help you have a better overall understanding of the Rice Owls 2011 class.
Our Overall thoughts on the class
-Nate- “Great class. Thought Bailiff and a shorthanded staff really did a great job assembling the diversity of talent. They really filled areas of need, especially on defense where Cheta Ozougwu will no longer reside at DE. “
-Jefferson- “Excellent class, Rivals and Scout will tell you this class is filled with three-star athletes and a couple two-star athletes. But we aren’t in the field of astrology, so let’s not go counting stars just yet. What you need to win football games is football players and I think top to bottom Rice added some really good football players.”
A look at the offense
-Nate- “The Owls got faster and much bigger at wideout. With the addition of Gibson, Hill, and Walker who all reportedly run 4.4.-40 times, that poses a threat to any defense.”
“The TE position will be fun to watch with McDonald, Willson, and now Taylor Cook. However, I'm curious to see how Peterson works at TE. He's played receiver his senior year and he's such a big target. Certainly a kid that size can create mismatches on the outside which will allow for big plays down the field.”
-Jefferson- "Definitely adding additional depth. Love the Driphus Jackson signing at quarterback, huge upside there, Will be interesting to see how he is utilized in pre-season practices.”
“They added depth along the offensive line and picked up a monster in Matt Wofford who stands in at 6-foot-7 320 pounds. Will definitely help bolster the tackle position and could be a future anchor on the left side.”
A look at the defense
-Nate- “I think the Christian Covington is going to be a monster once he gets a hang of the college game. According to Bailiff, this kid is ahead of the game in terms of fundamentals and technique. Really interested to see how Austin Williams fits into the linebacker corp.”
‘If defensive back Jaylynn Fenner really hits like Sendejo, he will become known around the league very quickly!”
-Jefferson- “I have to agree with Nate on everything he stated. I think Christian Covington will be a beast along the interior defensive line. He’s only 17-years old and is the son of a CFL Hall of Famer and the league’s all-time sacks leader. Getting penetration is in his blood. Watching film on Covington he has a very sound technique for a player his age. Not hard to see why he was the No. 1 rated defensive lineman in all of Canada.”
“I love the Austin Williams pick-up. This kid is a tackling machine. He was All-State, All-District, and All-Centex. He can just flat-out get to the football. Like Nate, I’m anxious to see how he fits in but Rice got themselves a really good linebacker by getting Austin Williams.
Biggest Surprise
-Nate- “Quarterback Driphus Jackson. I believe he will be the surprise of the haul. Having had the opportunity to participate in a TV reality show and win a roster spot in the Army All-American game is truly outstanding. He understands high-level competition.”
-Jefferson- “I’m going to have to go Christian Covington, to pick up a commitment from a kid that lives 2,500 miles away is huge. He is the only player of the 19 who signed on Wednesday who lives outside of the state of Texas. Not only discovering him, but getting him to commit to playing in Houston, 2,500 miles away from home is a huge for Rice.”
Most Underrated player of the 2011 class
-Nate- “Christian Covington, that's probably fair since stateside folks don't know him. However, he is rated as the best offensive lineman prospect coming from North of the Border.”
-Jefferson- “I’ll go Austin Williams. This kid had 355 tackles in his career, 174 of them came his senior year. He was arguably the best defensive player on a Texas 4A powerhouse program that has won four straight state championships.”
Additional news to note
Shane Turner will move to defensive back, 6-foot-7 240 pound quarterback Taylor Cook will make the switch to tightend and the rest of the coaching staff should be in place by next Tuesday or shortly thereafter.
Big thanks to Rice Football Analyst Nate Griffin for sharing his thoughts and opinions on the 2011 Rice Owls signing class.
Rice fans make sure you follow Jefferson D. Powell as your College Football Examiner he will bring you all the latest college football news and information in and around the Houston area. You can follow him by clicking subscribe on this page, you can also find him on facebook and twitter.
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