What to know before On300 OL Zach Rice's commitment Thursday
Lynchburg (Va.) Liberty Christian Academy four-star Zach Rice is one of the top remaining uncommitted offensive lineman in the country.
That will change Thursday when he announces his college commitment in his high school auditorium. He is choosing between Alabama, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Virginia.
Rice would be a major pick up for any of those five programs. He is the No. 91 overall recruit in the 2022 On300 rankings, seventh-best offensive tackle and second-highest uncommitted tackle left on the board.
How to watch Zach Rice’s ceremony?
Rice played his commitment announcement to be on a Thursday so he could have his friends and family with him.
“I’m going to have my commitment announcement on Thursday so everyone can come into the auditorium,” Rice told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “Doing it on Thursday will allow me to celebrate with my family and friends on the weekend.”
He will be making his announcement live on CBS Sports HQ at 8:15 p.m. EST.
What is the inside scoop on Rice’s recruitment?
Rice went on official visits to each of his final except North Carolina in June. However, he has gone on plenty of unofficials to Chapel Hill as well as Charlottesville, Virginia.
He was at Virginia for the opening weekend of the season, and caught up with On3’s Jeremy Johnson afterwards. His dedication to his teammates and family shines through in his answer.
“When I’m around friends and family, I don’t get treated like a five star, because that’s not my identity,” Rice said. “I’m just happy. At first, it was just me getting the offers. Now, we’ve got a UVA commit. We’ve got a ninth grader that already has three offers. It’s only up from here with recruiting for my school… I felt like with my film going out, it could help other people get recruited.”
His high school teammate, three-star quarterback Davis Lane, is a Cavaliers commit.
What makes Rice a top-100 recruit?
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said Rice consistently rises above the average competition he plays in Virginia, which is what recruiters love to see from prospects.
“The first thing that jumps out with Zach Rice is his ability as a drive blocker in the run game,” Power said. “He has strong hands and stuns opposing defensive linemen at the point of attack. You can also see some technical polish with his hand placement. Rice may not necessarily play the toughest competition, but he dominates like a national prospect should on a consistent basis.”