Rice Owls football gets boost from Tennessee OL Bledsoe, Needham
HOUSTON (BVM) – In football there is a saying that “everything starts up front” which places significance on the men in the trenches in charge of either protecting their offensive players or taking down those same offensive players for the defense. For Rice University football, it appears that same mantra still rings true, especially if one looks at the team’s Class of 2023 recruits. In April, this group got a significant boost from a pair of Tennessee offensive linemen who will bring their talents to Houston following their graduation next year.
On April 18, Briarcrest Christian Academy offensive lineman Nate Bledsoe announced his commitment to the Owls. An all-region selection this past year, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Bledsoe helped the Saints to a 9-2 record and a playoff appearance. Bledsoe chose the Owls over 20 other offers including from Arkansas State, Appalachian State, Eastern Kentucky, Memphis and Tulane, among others.
“I feel really confident, comfortable, I love everything about the school. The first time I went down and visited I absolutely fell in love with it,” Bledsoe said. “I’m really excited to get down there to Houston and get to work.”
COMMITTED🦉💙 pic.twitter.com/9A0HrC14qE
— Nate Bledsoe (@_natebledsoe_) April 18, 2022
A few days later on April 21, fellow junior offensive lineman Luke Needham from Houston High School also committed to the Owls. A fellow all-region selection, Needham, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, helped the Mustangs to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the playoffs.
“I feel a great feeling of joy to be honest, I finally made that landmark in my life where I’m going to school to play football and focus on academics. It’s a great feeling,” Needham said. “At Rice I feel like I can be successful with that academic curriculum, not just football.”
EXCITED TO START A NEW JOURNEY! 🦉💙 #Committed #IntellectualBrutality pic.twitter.com/HmuNzVtHN6
— Luke Needham (@LukeNeedham12) April 21, 2022
The two, who have known each other since middle school, have been in contact with each other throughout the recruiting process and after they visited the campus together during the team’s spring game, they felt they could have something special together.
“Houston is about five minutes from Briarcrest so me and Luke have been buddies for a few years now and when I went down for the spring game the offensive line coach told me they were interested in Luke so we talked and a few days later he made the decision,” Bledsoe said. “I’m super excited to have one of my buddies going down to college with me, it’s kind of a guaranteed roommate, guaranteed buddy I have down there. I’m super excited to be with him and have four to six more years with him.”
“It’s awesome because I’ve known Nate since middle school just through football,” Needham said. “It’s really awesome to see a fellow offensive lineman in this area go there too.”
Turn me up !!!! https://t.co/LiDHozOrtz
— Luke Needham (@LukeNeedham12) April 21, 2022
The two linemen not only have similar builds, and apparently similar tastes, but also are similarly rated by recruiting experts. Bledsoe is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, ranking as the No. 81 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 43 Class of 2023 prospect in Tennessee.
“At the next level, tackles are more of the 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7 guys, that’s just kind of how it works so I will likely be playing at an interior position,” Bledsoe said. “I’m comfortable anywhere, I started my high school career at center so I really opened up with that and started with that so I’d be very comfortable playing back inside but I will play wherever they will put me.”
Needham is also rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports though he holds a slightly lower ranking than Bledsoe as the No. 93 interior offensive lineman and the No. 54 prospect in the state. Though listed as an interior linemen, Needham expects to stick to the tackle position at the next level.
“I talked to Coach [Sanders] Davis, the offensive line coach there, and I believe I’m aiming at tackle right now,” Needham said.
For Rice, the hope would be by building along their offensive line the team will have more success offensively going forward. This past season, the Owls ranked at No. 97 in the country in total offense while finishing No. 74 in the country in rushing offense and No. 87 in passing offense. This is just part of why the Owls limped to a 4-8 record in the fall, though if a couple of overtime losses against North Texas and Charlotte in back-to-back weeks fall another way, the team could’ve gotten to bowl eligibility.
“After the spring game, I really saw the energy of how they get things done and the way they were doing and going through the game it just felt like they were heading in an upward trend, heading in the right direction,” Needham said. “Success is a very, very huge possibility. There will be huge success with Rice coming up. There’s just a winning attitude there.”
With the thought of being so close to a postseason bid, Rice has shown that its best option moving forward is building up its future offense. So far, the Owls have landed four commitments in the Class of 2023 all on the offensive side as Bledsoe and Needham will be joined by Texas offensive lineman Peyton Farmer who will all work to protect quarterback commit Chase Jenkins.
“I’m super excited, we have a quarterback in Chase Jenkins who is a super talented quarterback who has a great arm and can run too so I’m excited to have a quarterback who has both options,” Bledsoe said. “I think we’re going to have a bright future. Offensive line-wise we have guys who are ready to get in there and get to work so I’m super stoked to get down there and I am confident in what we will be able to do.”
Roommate #3 🦉🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/3auycFxqXy
— Nate Bledsoe (@_natebledsoe_) April 21, 2022
As the Owls await the arrival of their new offensive road graders, both Bledsoe and Needham will look to help their respective teams advance deeper into the postseason for their senior campaigns. Once in Houston, the Rice coaching staff will see if their Tennessee imports can bring the physicality and success the offense has been looking for.
“I love to run block, I love to pull,” Bledsoe said. “I’m a mauler and my goal is to obliterate whatever is in front of me. The goal is to impose your will on the guy in front of you. Just nasty ruthlessness.”
“As soon as the clock starts it’s all tunnel vision and getting things done,” Needham said. “The main focus is aggressive brutality as well as just playing smart, with a high IQ and knowing what you’re doing.”
