From Corn to Rice: A Football Duo's Journey to a Bowl Game

Increasingly in college athletics, the role of the transfer portal looms large. Yet for a pair of Rice Owls, the changing landscape of college football offers a possible storybook chapter at the Servpro First Responder Bowl.

Luke McCaffrey and Brant Banks both began their careers at the University of Nebraska. McCaffrey appeared at quarterback in 11 games across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, throwing for over 600 yards and rushing for over 500 yards. Banks, meanwhile, was a four-year member of the offensive line, also becoming only the 14th true freshman offensive lineman to play in a game in Nebraska program history.

"We both early enrolled," Banks said. "We came in with seven guys, all freshmen who, for all intents and purposes, could still be in high school. In a weird way, you're a bunch of high schoolers with a bunch of grown men, so you get close to the guys you're there with. And Luke was always in our room hanging out. I think we just developed a pretty good bond, especially being on O-line and quarterback, that's another special thing. And I was actually the only O-lineman to come in early, so I got that one going pretty quick."

Following the 2020 season, however, McCaffrey opted to eschew Cornhusker red in favor of Rice blue. Now a junior, McCaffrey made several starts at QB in 2021 before switching to wide receiver full-time and finding immediate success. McCaffrey was selected by his teammates as the winner of the George Martin Award as team MVP after eclipsing 900 all-purpose yards in his first season at wide receiver in 2022. Following the season, Banks then entered the transfer portal and immediately was recruited by his former teammate.

"I got here two years before (Banks) and I came because I had a great relationship with coach (Bloomgren) and wanted to be in a West Coast system," McCaffrey said. "I definitely thought this was the perfect fit for the style of play that I had and that I wanted to have. The minute (Banks) entered the portal, I think I called him probably 10 times in a week just to make sure that he knew that we wanted him here and hoping that our previous relationship would help convince him of that. His family actually lives about a block away from Rice, so it seemed to be the perfect fit. Everything kind of aligned."

Banks, who attended Westbury Christian High School in Houston, quickly made the decision to return to his hometown. A previous three-star recruit out of high school, Banks chose the Owls over a number of other interested teams. The added insight from McCaffrey and his family also played a part. Luke's older brother, Christian, now a member of the San Francisco 49ers, was a standout running back under coach Bloomgren at Stanford.

"When I entered the portal, obviously I was going to look around," Banks said. "I'd been 12, 13 hours away from home for four years up in Nebraska. Coach Bloom jokes about it, I'm probably the easiest recruit he's ever gotten. I'm five minutes from my house that I grew up in now, so that played an aspect into it. Talking to Luke and his family, they have a lot of football knowledge, obviously. Christian played under coach Bloom, so I talked to his family. They got a lot of good insight about what he does, who he is as a coach and what he does with his O-line. That was pretty exciting for me and to get to play with Luke again was honestly pretty exciting."

The addition of Banks has proven to be a key addition to an offensive line which has played a key role in the Owls reaching a second consecutive bowl game. Four offensive linemen (Banks, Braedon Nutter, Lavel Dumont and Ethan Onianwa) have started every game this season. A fifth, Clay Servin, has started all but three games this season. The entire five are available for Tuesday's Servpro First Responder Bowl.

"I don't think I've ever been a part of or maybe ever heard of a team that had all five starters in every single game throughout a college football season," McCaffrey said. "Especially when you play in a position that's that physical but I think that's a testament to just how tough those guys are and how willing to fight that they are… To just a bunch of guys who are going out there to battle, to war, is something that we as a team love. And we as an offensive unit, we're proud to build our offense around our offensive line."

That offensive line has helped power the Owl offense down the stretch. Rice totaled over 200 yards rushing in consecutive wins over Charlotte and Florida Atlantic to reach six wins and a bowl game. The Owls also averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in each victory.

"We've been able to develop chemistry together and get closer not only on the field but off the field too," Banks said. "I think you can see that in our play as we got more comfortable around each other through the season and fixed little things here and there. We've definitely turned around from what we started with. There were weeks that we got challenged. Maybe we didn't have very many rushing yards and that wasn't our standard. Coach Bloom's an O-line guy. So we can't be the group that lets the team down. So we got challenged and I'm pretty proud of the guys, the way we stood up and rose to the occasion and met the challenge head on."

With the offensive line solidly in place, Rice's expanse of weapons has been free to explode this season. McCaffrey, redshirt senior Juma Otoviano and junior Dean Connors have each compiled over 400 all-purpose yards this season. McCaffrey is also only 37 yards away from becoming only the third player in Rice history to reach the 1,000-yard mark for receiving yards in a season.

"I think that reflects on the team," McCaffrey said. "I think just being able to go on the field and have guys that keep the defense accountable and keep the defense on their toes is such a special thing. Then you combine that with (offensive coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo) who calls an excellent pass game and coach Bloom and the guys that get our game plan going from a pass and run standpoint is cool. Anything individual usually can get relayed back to the team. I think I'm in such a blessed situation with the guys around me and coaches that I've built trust and built relationships with over the last 3 years that I've been here."

The duo of McCaffrey and Banks, with the shared experience of starting their careers in Nebraska, have been instrumental to each other in finding those comfort zones off the field in order to translate their potential on the field.

"Oftentimes, when you transfer to a new program, it's a little scary," Banks said. "You don't know anyone on the program, you have to get to know everyone. But I already had a connection with one of the guys who was one of the older guys on the team. That being said, I have to say this place is awesome. They welcomed me with open arms and I got to know the guys pretty quick. Now we're a big old band of brothers."

"I think (Banks) has been able to help me relax a lot from that standpoint," McCaffrey said. "When I was young, I was very anxious and very competitive to the standpoint to where sometimes it puts you in situations that you don't love. I think having somebody who's as passionate and fun-loving like Brant is, it makes it fun and it makes the game so worthwhile. You remember the people that are around you and the reason that you're playing. It's been fun to go through this journey together."

That journey continues on Tuesday at Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, against Texas State, an opponent who brings even more meaning to Banks than simply another in-state rival.

"Actually, this one's a little bit more personal for me," Banks said. "My dad played at Texas State back in the day. It's pretty cool to get to play his alma mater. Hopefully. we go out there and we do what we want to do and it should be a pretty fun night.

While the transfer portal has helped both McCaffrey and Banks find their homes in the world of college football, the duo both know that that same entity creates a sense of urgency to close the 2023 season with a victory for this team."

"It's just awesome to get to go out there one more time with all the boys," Banks said. "Because no matter what happens next year, this team won't be the same. We're going to have guys transfer, have guys go out. So it's just exciting to have one more game with all the same guys."

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