Rice scores Houston stars
Rice head coach David Bailiff has had a full year to recruit the class of 2008, unlike last year when he was hired two weeks before signing day.
The Owls have been putting together a solid class but on Tuesday they scored their biggest coup of the year. Houston Cy Falls all-purpose back Shane Turner called Bailiff to pull the trigger on a commitment to Rice, turning down offers from the likes of Arizona, Boston College and Northwestern.
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"Shane just committed to Rice about 30 minutes ago," said Cy Falls head coach David Raffield on Tuesday afternoon.
"He really liked everything they had to offer and decided to commit today."
It had been thought that the three-star prospect was a Boston College commitment after Turner told Rivals.com on Sunday that he was trying get in touch with the Eagle coaches to commit. However, Raffield said that never ended up happening.
"I'm not sure what was with Shane committing to Boston College but he never called the coaches there or anything," Raffield said. "He decided today that he wanted to stay closer to home and play for Rice."
A factor in Turner's apparent change of heart could likely have been a decision that his teammate, wide receiver Denzel Wells, made on Sunday.
"Yeah, Denzel committed to Rice on Sunday," said Raffield. "Shane was pretty excited when that happened. I think that had a lot to do with it – the fact that they could play together in college and be close to home."
Turner, ranked as the No. 28 all-purpose back in the country, rushed for 1,513 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2007. He also added 28 receptions. Wells caught 37 passes for an average of 20.5 yards per reception and scored nine touchdowns. Both players earned first-team all-district honors.