A generational type talent that was a Buffalo just one week ago is now on the open market. For the sake of CU not having to play him, it would be nice for Rice to land at a big-time Power-5 school that isn’t in the Pac-12.
On Monday evening, the second-year wide receiver tweeted that he had received 30 offers. That number has probably since grown as well.
After an unconfirmed report that Rice tweeted he had received one of those offers from USC, it had me fearing the worst. New USC head coach Lincoln Riley has already begun turning things around and landing Rice would be a grand get early in his tenure. This school scares me the most inside the Pac-12.
Could Rice, an Arizona native, sign with either the Sun Devils or Wildcats? Considering the state of those programs, I don’t really see that happening. But it should be noted that Rice made a couple of unofficial visits to Arizona State before former CU head coach Mel Tucker convinced him otherwise. ASU QB Jayden Daniels is also sticking around next season and that could be a fun duo to watch.
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Are the northern California Pac-12 schools an option? Rice’s father and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice played for both the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, which could make for a homecoming of sorts. The elder Rice also played a few games for the Seattle Seahawks, just to add another Pac-12 connection into the mix.
As our friends at Ducks Wire so graciously reminded us, Rice was also once recruited by Oregon. Like ASU, Rice made a pair of unofficial visits to Oregon prior to signing with the Buffs. It looks like Oregon could be just as dangerous in 2022, too. Without forgetting how attractive Utah is at the moment, let’s remember that entering the transfer portal doesn’t require a player to leave their original program. Colorado would obviously love to have Rice back, and this tweet suggests the Buffs aren’t forgotten.
U never know. https://t.co/NO6X6Ogzn6
— B Rice (@BrendenRice) January 4, 2022
We’ll just have to wait and see.
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