More Rice Commitments Looking Elsewhere

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:37 pm

DB Chima Nwachukwu from Allen is going to check out Tulsa along with LB Rashard Robinson. Reid Singleton has already decommitted and looks like he will end up at Tulsa. DT Cameron Thompson from Cedar Hill is visiting Tulsa. Looks like Rice could lose upwards of 7 commitments also including Nathan [deleted](committed to Arkansas), Goneaway(committed to Houston), and the JC OLM Hinton(quit school). Maybe more. Their recruiting class is devastated. Of course, Tulsa may sign more original Rice commitments than Rice-but then again football really isn't that important at Rice. Finally, Charles Opesteyian who was committed to Tulsa has recommitted to Tulsa.

smu diamond m · Post by **smu diamond m** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:44 pm

Well, I hope Rice has fun trying to find a church league for their football team to play in.

smupony94 · Post by **smupony94** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:51 pm

smu diamond m wrote:Well, I hope Rice has fun trying to find a church league for their football team to play in.

And yet we will not get any of them

Pony Fan · Post by **Pony Fan** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:42 pm

Anything on the big kid from East Texas?

RE Tycoon · Post by **RE Tycoon** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:43 am

Well this says volumes about Bennett's recruiting ability. Graham obviously has an amazing sway over these kids, while Bennett can't seem to get a seat at the big boys table, or the little kids table for that matter.

DiamondM75 · Post by **DiamondM75** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:30 am

The way I see it, our class is full. We don't have anymore 'ships to give. But I wonder why Tulsa has so many openings?

mustangbill67 · Post by **mustangbill67** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:21 pm

DiamondM75 wrote:The way I see it, our class is full. We don't have anymore 'ships to give. But I wonder why Tulsa has so many openings?

My understanding as well. I believe Bennett is holding back a few just in case.

MustangStealth · Post by **MustangStealth** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:39 pm

smu diamond m wrote:Well, I hope Rice has fun trying to find a church league for their football team to play in.

They don't seem to have much trouble beating us every time we go to Houston.

westexSMU · Post by **westexSMU** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:47 am

[quote="DiamondM75"]The way I see it, our class is full. We don't have anymore 'ships to give. But I wonder why Tulsa has so many openings?[/quote].......................Tulsa is showing only 12 recruits commited at this point and their class today is ranked lower than SMU's class on Rivals. Graham may get a few of the Rice guys but who cares ? The only guy Rice had I would think we would really want that bad that left is QB Nathan [deleted] (Arkansas Commit ) Sure, we offered 2 star Ath. Ganaway, who obviously wanted to go to school in Houston, earlier but who really cares ? I mean it's not like the guy was a High School All American. The 3 star TE Rice has I think is still commited to Rice.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:34 pm

An 8th Rice decommittment or commitment reevaluating his choices has surfaced. K Anson Kelson has decommitted to Rice and committed to TCU.

Gravy Owl · Post by **Gravy Owl** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:57 pm

Ganaway apparently committed to UH even before Frodd left us. Y'all know what it's like with him. [deleted] was sure to join his brother at Arkansas as soon as they offered. Now that Bailiff is on the case hopefully we can hang on to the others; Nwachukwu has already reaffirmed his commitment. Joseph Leary, a guy that we really wanted, just committed.

Frodd sucker-punched us. I wouldn't say we are devastated.

Thanks for the concern. See you in November.

Corso · Post by **Corso** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:00 pm

Good luck, Gravy. It stings, I'm sure to see commitments jump ship, but Rice is too good a place for a guy like TG. One of these days, he'll get his comeuppance, and I hope it's the Owls who give it to him.

Mexmustang · Post by **Mexmustang** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:27 pm

Makes one want to root for the Owls. Something is wrong when a coach signs a contract, ignores it, bolts to another school and then cherrry picks the very recruits that the former school paid for him to recruit in the first place. Common sense tells me that Rice should sue the guy, they paid his salary, his assistants salaries, their travel and communications expenses, the cost to entertain the recruits at Rice, etc. but then common sense, says the university wouldn't want to show the same lack of class that the coach has demonstrated!

Gravy Owl · Post by **Gravy Owl** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:15 pm

Thanks. He definitely put us in a bind considering the timing, but I think we'll be fine in the long run. He's a turnaround guy in more ways than one, and some of us are thinking that one year may have been the right amount of time to have him.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:28 pm

Rice could have met the market rate paid by TCU, Tulsa, UCF and others for rising young football coaches who perform miracles. That market rate is now in excess of $1,000,000 a year. If Bennett performs a miracle next year and is a National Coach of the Year Candidate by going 10-2 or something then SMU will have to join the million dollar club. They weren't willing to make that commitment-a very telling and relevant fact to Rice commitments. I would have looked elsewhere too-Football really ain't that important to Rice-they are sitting on an endowment of over 3,200,000,000. They never even bothered to counteroffer to a guy thaty won 6 more games than last year, took them to their first bowl in 45 years and was National Coach of the Year candidate. There is a price to pay for being below market.