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February 8, 2008 > Sports > Football nets talented Texans on signing day

Football nets talented Texans on signing day

By Nathan Bledsoe | Thresher staff

The football team effectively began its 2008 season last Wednesday as its signing class of 17 athletes was announced. The class features two members of the Houston Chronicle’s “Texas Top 100” — running back Shane Turner and defensive back Xavier Webb.

Turner, a product of Cy-Falls High School in Houston, is arguably the Owls’ top-ranked recruit — he is ranked 28th in the nation among all-purpose backs according to scout.com. Webb, a dual-threat at quarterback during his high school days in Montgomery, Ala., will switch to safety with the Owls. Both players should bring much-needed quickness and agility to the roster.

“When we started, we knew we wanted to increase the athleticism of this team, we wanted to increase our speed, we wanted to increase our size, and we think he fits our needs,” Bailiff said.

For the second year in a row Rice recruited north of the border, this time bringing in two commitments from Canadian players. Stefan Nazar and Luke Willson bring size to the offensive line — both are six feet, five inches. However, Willson, a tight end, may still have to adjust to American football.

“We’ve got to teach [Willson] some American rules,” Bailiff said. “He’s running towards the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped — we’ll have to retool that a little bit.”

Rice’s Canadian connection is in part due to new running backs coach Darryl Patterson, who played for several years in the Canadian Football League and still maintains several contacts in the country.

Only two other incoming players hail from out-of-state, but they are two of the most interesting members of this year’s class. Punter/kicker Kyle Martens comes to Rice from Spearfish, S.D., as the seventh-ranked punter in the nation. Ryan Lewis, a quarterback from Baton Rouge, La., attended Catholic High School — the same school as former Rice offensive coordinator and current Texas running backs coach Major Applewhite.

The remaining recruits all hail from Texas, including nine from the Houston area. Defensive lineman John Gioffre comes in as a well-rounded athlete — he currently ranks second in the state in his wrestling weight class, and is currently undefeated and unscored upon.

One recruit has particularly impressive bloodlines. Corner Chris Jammer from Sweeney, Texas, is the cousin of former Rice pitcher Kenny Baugh, University of Texas-El Paso wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. and former University of Texas defensive back Quentin Jammer, who is currently playing for the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers.

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