2022 Elite Offensive Tackle Zach Rice Explains Unique Offer, Friendship through Recruiting
Liberty Christian Academy (VA) offensive tackle Zach Rice is more than a known commodity on the recruiting trail despite just two years of high school football. The 6-foot-6, 282-pound right tackle is already up to over 25 verbal offers as Maryland became the latest school to offer over the weekend. But it was how Rice got the offer that’s different than others.
Lord Botetourt (VA) offensive tackle Gunnar Givens, a close friend of Rice, already holds a Maryland offer and connected with offensive line coach John Reagan on Sunday. That’s when the two friends found out the Terps were the latest school to offer the pair of tackles. “Me and my friend Gunnar Givens are really close, and he was calling me when I was in the car and I didn’t answer because I was on the way back from training. He texted me and said, ‘answer, it’s important,’ and so I answered, and he had the Maryland coach on there and he offered me,” Rice told All Terrapins. “It was a short call because Gunnar already has an offer from them, but he said he’d love for us to come up when we can and get in more touch with him.”
“We just look out for each other,” Rice added about his relationship with Givens. “Any offers that he doesn’t have, I communicate with the coaches and vice versa. I wouldn’t say we’re a package deal, but ever since we started playing together, we had this dream of playing together, just keep going. He lives about two hours away from me and now he only lives about 45 minutes, so we workout and do a lot of stuff together. But ever since we were 12, we had the dream of playing at the higher level even though we play against each other now.”
Rice knows a bit about his latest suitor just under five hours away from his high school. “I like the location, I like the capital. I’ve done a little research on it. I’ve seen the offers that have went out in the DMV so it’s a familiar place.” Rice’s last visit came in the spring when he checked out Clemson and connected with Tigers’ offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell as he understood their evaluation process. But the connection between Givens and Rice gives the pair of elite suitors a chance to bounce recruiting pitches off each other, allowing each to navigate through their extensive list of suitors more in-depth.
“I feel like it can be two different stories. You get to relate and see what they tell the other players, are they telling us that we can all start our freshman year? You don’t know that, so you get to spectate other players and I want to earn and develop before I play. I’d love to play, but there’s a lot of work for the college speed.” While Rice has yet to embark on many visits, he knows what he’s looking to learn when he does make his way to campuses.
“I just go to the coach and ask for the student-teacher ratio. I’m learning a lot, a lot of schools only have 17 people in the class so that’s a positive thing for me. Plus, the academic advisors. Another thing I’ve learned through this recruiting process are the two people you spend the most time with is your strength coach and offensive line coach.”
Virginia announced plans on Monday for an amended athletics calendar for the 2020-21 academic year, officially moving fall sports to the spring. That gives Rice a chance to show off his offseason worth of work as he stayed focus on technique. “I developed great strength-wise, really as a football player you can never perfect your craft. So I think I developed with my kick steps just doing college workouts. I’ve been doing pass rush stuff against college players, so I really think I’m hitting a different level and pace in training.”
Rice was adamant as to why he believes he has separated himself among other tackles nationally.
“My humility and my mindset. I come out and compete. Everyone gets beat, but I’m always the one that bounces back in games and camps.”
