Phil Steele Picks Six Owls for C-USA Preseason Team

Senior linebacker Blaze Alldredge leads a group of six Rice Owls named to Phil Steele's All-Conference USA preseason team in his 26th annual College Football Preview which is currently available online and will hit newsstands on July 24.

Alldredge was named to the first team and was joined by deep snapper Campbell Riddle (second team), safety George Nyakwol and wide receivers Bradley Rozner and Austin Trammell (third team) and offensive tackle Clay Servin (fourth team). Trammell was also named to the third team as a kick returner.

Alldredge, who has also been named to Athlon's preseason All C-USA squad and to Dave Campbell's Texas Football All-Texas preseason team, earned All-Conference USA honors both on the field and in the classroom in 2019. He piled up 102 tackles (21.5 for loss) while posting a 3.567 GPA in Political Science. He led C-USA and was tied for second nationally with an average of 1.79 TFL per game while his 21.5 tackles for loss were tied for the C-USA lead and for second nationally. Alldredge's 27 plays resulting in a loss (16 solo, 11 assists) led the nation. Over a quarter of his 102 tackles resulted in losses (27 of 102, 26%).

In his first season with the Owls in 2019, Rozner was an honorable mention all-league pick by the conference's coaches after leading the team with 770 receiving yards and five touchdowns while placing second with 55 receptions. He was also second in Conference USA with four 100-yard receiving games, including a season-high 138 yards at UTSA.

Trammell joined Rozner on the third team both as a wide receiver and as a kick returner. He led the Owls with 60 receptions, becoming the second player in school history to have consecutive seasons with at least 60 catches, and placed second on the team with 726 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. He ranked fourth in Conference USA in both kick return yardage per game (19.9) and punt return yardage per game (9.3).

Nyakwol was one of five Owls to start all 12 games last year. He was fourth on the team with 57 tackles while tying for the team lead with seven passes defended. He also picked up his third career interception at UAB.

Riddle was tabbed by Steele as a third team all-conference selection at the end of the 2019 season and was honorable mention honoree by conference coaches. He finished the season with 100% ball placement on 66 punt snaps and 42 snaps on field goals and PATs.

Servin started 11 of 12 games as a redshirt freshman last year after starting three games while retaining his redshirt as true freshman in 2018. He was named to Pro Football Focus' Eckrich Conference USA Team of the Week for his performance in the season-ending win at UTEP as the Owls rushed for a season-high 256 yards.

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