Mississippi State grad, ex-Johnson star enjoys playing time at A&M
Every year, Carlton Rice considered coming home from Mississippi State. But every year, the former Johnson High School star changed his mind.
Finally, with his fitness management degree in hand, there was no reason for Rice to stay in Starkville and languish on special teams, as he had done the previous three seasons.
So after graduating last December with a year of eligibility remaining, Rice headed home to Alabama A&M.
He's only played one game for the Bulldogs, but he's already made an impact.
Last Saturday against Tennessee State, the senior inside linebacker showed off his skills. He finished with a game-high eight tackles and had an interception in the first quarter that turned the game around as A&M went on to a convincing 49-23 victory. Rice was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Game.
"I give all the glory to God," Rice said. "Being here is a blessing."
Rice considered A&M coming out of high school. He eventually committed to Chattanooga, but MSU entered the picture late in the recruiting process. Ron Cooper, who coached from 1998-2001 at A&M, signed him.
After redshirting as a freshman, Rice spent the majority of his career playing special teams. While he played in all 34 games during his stay, he was credited with 25 tackles - 15 of which came last season.
"I got in basically when the game was over," Rice said. "I was second string, but never got the coach's confidence.
"It was a real tough situation, but I never complained. I went out there every day and did my job and hoped to get a chance."
That went on throughout his career. Even so, Rice decided to stick it out.
"I got there and decided I wanted to get a degree from Mississippi State," he said.
All the while, Rice stayed in contact with A&M coach Anthony Jones. When Mississippi State was idle, Rice came to watch A&M play.
"When he wasn't here, I felt like he was a part of our program because he still had an interest," Jones said. "We felt we had a real good shot at him coming out of high school, but Mississippi State came in. It's tough for a kid to turn down an SEC team."
After Rice realized he was going to graduate early and have a year of eligibility left, his mind was made up."I pretty much knew what I wanted to do," he said. "I was coming back home."
Rice certainly looked comfortable Saturday night. Making his first career start and playing extensively for the first time in college, Rice looked like a natural.
"He played an exceptional game," Martin said. "He has great awareness and instincts. He's brought more to the table than I expected.
"It was like he had been here five years and he's only been here one game. We're excited."
So is Rice.
"Saturday night was all I envisioned and more," he said.
Defensive line changes: Two new starters will be along A&M's defensive line Saturday night when Clark Atlanta visits. Dominique Cummings will start at right defensive end and David Winston will start at right defensive tackle against the Panthers.
Jeremy Maddox started in place of Cummings against Tennessee State and was credited with five tackles, but he was also whistled for two big penalties early in the third quarter that helped set up a Tigers touchdown. Meanwhile, Renaldo Askew started in place of Winston, who had sustained a back injury more than a week before the opener. Winston was credited with one tackle, while Askew didn't record one.
Working hard: A&M practiced for two-plus hours Tuesday as it began preparations for its home opener against Clark Atlanta. Kickoff is 6:30 Saturday night at Louis Crews Stadium.
"It's the toughest day of the week," he said. "You're challenged mentally because you're introducing a new game plan. You're challenged physically because you've had a couple of days off and the bumps and bruises have set in."
No comments:
Post a Comment