Monty Rice is an absolute steal in this class.

That's high praise from Aranda. I'm sure he says that type of stuff to a lot of guys but the fact that this guy was evaluated so highly by he and Miles speaks volumes.

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That's high praise from Aranda. I'm sure he says that type of stuff to a lot of guys but the fact that this guy was evaluated so highly by he and Miles speaks volumes.

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Yep. They know good football players and Aranda is one the best. Whenever I heard we passed on Reid. I knew it was because Aranda had other targets higher on the board.

Aranda can go get Tyler Taylor from Georgia and no one will give two shits that we lost Moses and Allen.

Rice lays a lick on folks....not sour Moses grapes....but Rice has the higher upside and will be in the NFL while Moses is still playing ST for Bama. Laugh, down vote, but make sure you bookmark this.

Moses likes to steal LF7s saying "SAVAGES". Well this Rice kid is the epidome of SAVAGE.....he's not your typical 7v7 dog and pony show.....this kid got out his car and earned his damn offer! I respect the hell outta this "Bama Boy"

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Aranda can go get Tyler Taylor from Georgia and no one will give two shits that we lost Moses and Allen.

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If Aranda salvages this LB class with Rice, Queen, Chaisson and one of Gay, Taylor or Phillips he should get another raise.

Seems to have good size, speed, and instincts! Looks as good on film as some of the higher rated players

What is the reason for the 3 star rating then? Not trying to be negative. Just curious

Yep, he will be a very solid player for us. Aranda knows what he is doing w/o a doubt.

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What is the reason for the 3 star rating then? Not trying to be negative. Just curious

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Probably a combination of his injury from 3 years ago, then going to a new high school, and/or not camping much. Just my guess.

But he is one of the highest rated 3 star LB's in the country. Could easily earn the extra star when rankings get updated, but overall it doesn't matter what his ranking is.

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The toughest challenge Monty Rice ever faced was coming to the realization that he was not unstoppable.

The three-star linebacker from James Clemens experienced his epiphany when he was a freshman at St. John Paul II. Though young, Rice was bursting at the seams with talent and started at running back and linebacker. "As a freshman, I felt kind of invincible," he said. "I felt like I couldn't be touched." All that changed in the fourth game of the season. Rice caught a pass against Butler and gained a big chunk of yardage. But while one tackler held his right leg, another defender knocked Rice out of bounds.

Rice suffered a broken leg and had three pins put into his knee during surgery. "That taught me, 'You're not invincible,'" he said. "No one's invincible. You can be beat. You can be touched."

Rice's recovery was supposed to take about nine months, but he didn't follow doctors' orders not to run or jump. Instead, he played basketball with friends and recovered in about six months.

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Rice left the two-year-old program at St. John Paul II after his freshman year to play at three-year-old James Clemens. He made a quick impression on Wade Waldrop, who was in his second year leading the Jets. Waldrop and his staff watched Rice in a couple of JV games and practices. The youngster's raw athletic skills were impossible to miss.

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I think in one B-team against Huntsville, the first night we really got to see him play," Waldrop recalled, "he probably had 20-something tackles in a game that only had eight-minute quarters; which is crazy. The next week he started for us, and he's been starting ever since." Rice went on to record 91 tackles in just eight games. "He was really raw," Waldrop said. "He's gotten so much more polished at his position and taken so much good coaching. He's really playing the position at a high level to go along with the athletic ability, which everybody saw from Day 1." Rice followed with a stellar junior campaign in which he made 135 tackles, including 11 in the backfield. He also picked off three passes and forced three fumbles. College teams took notice. Schools such as Kentucky and UAB offered late in the year.

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Rice's recruitment exploded this past February with five offers from Power Five programs, including Alabama and Auburn.

His top nine, released in mid-July, included the Tide, Tigers, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida State and Michigan.

The chance to play in the SEC is an attraction to Rice. "It's pretty exciting," said Rice, whose hobbies include eating (he loves wings) and reading articles online. "It's the best conference in the nation. It's where all the championships go through."

Rice is rated three starts and the No. 22 inside linebacker in the nation by the 247Sports Composite. However, his offer list more closely resembles that of a four-star recruit. Rice said the rating doesn't motivate him. "It is what it is," he said. "I know know five-star guys who can't compete with our two-star offensive lineman Brody Collier."

Waldrop described Rice as the quintessential linebacker: Physical, doesn't shy away from contact and sets a tone for the defense. "Where he's made strides is understanding reads, fits and pass coverage," Waldrop said. "He's so talented. Sometimes guys like that have a hard time learning how to play the position the right way because they can line up and rely on athleticism. He's gotten better every week that he's been out here."

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LINK

Can't wait to see him play.

Monty Rice highlights
1:55 is an incredible play

This is all you need to know

Kid is elite

Strength
Vision
Speed
Agility
Power