While Rice University's football team is primarily made up of players from Texas, it still has players from all over the U.S. So where do the 2024 Owls come from?
Rice University football head coach Mike Bloomgren promised a national recruiting strategy when he took over before the 2018 season. Since then, he's kept his promise and has been traveling the country to build the best roster possible. The 2024 roster is expected to feature players from 21 states (and the District of Columbia), up from 18 last year.
The 2024 roster includes newcomers from Phoenix, Arizona (EJ Warner), Alpine, Utah (Michael Daley) and Hinesburg, Vermont (Graham Walker), among others.
Below is a visual breakdown of the 2024 roster as of the end of spring practice, including announced 2024 recruits and transfers.
2024 Rice University football team roster (by state)
Not pictured: Hawaii (4)
Roster Breakdown
Of the 122 projected players, 69 (57%) are from Texas. The next most common are Rice University, California (10) and Florida (6), known as hotbeds for recruiting college football players. After that, the pool diversifies rapidly. New Jersey has five Owls, Hawaii has four Owls, and five other states have three Rice players each. In addition to its traditional southern recruiting grounds, Rice has a significant footprint in the Northeast.
Breakdown of new students
Of the prospective students and signees, 67% are from Texas, a 10 percentage point increase from overall enrollment. A significant percentage of these freshmen are walk-ons, who typically come to campus from nearby areas.
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