VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - THI was at the Virginia Beach Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon and caught up with 5-star class of 2022 offensive tackle Zach Rice.
A Lynchburg, VA, native, Rice is the No. 17 overall prospect nationally in the class, is the top-ranked player in the state of Virginia, and the No. 3 offensive tackle in the country.
The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder has over 35 offers from programs across the country and released a top eight in Nov. 2020, which includes North Carolina. The other schools included in Rice’s top eight are Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Virginia.
Here is a full transcript of what the No. 17 overall player in the 2022 class had to say:
THI: The last time we chatted with you was here in Virginia Beach back in June for the G.A.M.E. Academy prospect camp. How has your recruitment been going since the last time we talked?
RICE: “It’s been good. It's just been building relationships, stuff like that. Obviously, I can't see anything, so it’s going to be pretty cool once I can finally see. A lot of coaches are talking right now, but it's kind of like reading a book and not watching the movie, so it’s gonna be pretty cool to see the real stuff.”
THI: How much of a challenge has it been during your recruiting process because of COVID to not be able to go visit schools as much as you'd like and to have to do everything virtually?
RICE: “It was kind of a challenge until I really cut it down. I took a week off from recruiting and kind of just dreamed about where I wanted to go and I saw those top eight schools and saw where I wanted to go. And so, I kind of just saw myself in those jerseys and being coached by those coaches.
"So after I took that time, it kind of got easier on me but, like I said, there's been a lot of talking. You talk to these coaches about every day, but it's like man, you can build a relationship but you’ve got to have a relationship. You’ve got to feel it when you go there.”
THI: I know I saw you at the Notre Dame game in Chapel Hill back in November, but were you at any other Carolina games last season?
RICE: “So I went to the North Carolina versus North Carolina State (game) and I went to the UVA game when they played North Carolina.”
THI: What do you like about North Carolina and what’s your relationship like with the Tar Heels right now?
RICE: “I'd say the biggest thing is I got on the phone with Coach (John) Lilly about a few months before the game and he showed me the stadium and stuff on FaceTime. And when I got there, it was kind of like deja vu. I already knew where everything was, it was crazy. And I would say the biggest thing is, kind of talking to Mack Brown and stuff, just the opportunity they gave me.
"Like, if my grandma ever wanted to go to the game, and her health’s not the best right now, they would pull her up the hill in a golf cart and stuff like that. And I would say the biggest thing is, just sitting in the seats really, they have a back (to the seats) and obviously my grandmother wouldn't be able to sit on one of those bleachers without back support. So I would say it’s just very comfortable and it’s very atmospheric.
"And obviously with COVID going on, it sucks, but they didn't even have that many fans in there (Kenan Stadium) and it was still roaring in there, so it’s pretty cool.”
THI: So what is the timetable on your commitment decision looking like right now?
RICE: “I want to do a set date, but I know when I get down and finally see these schools, it's kind of going to be harder. I feel like it'd be an easy decision right now as we're speaking, but once I finally get to see these schools, then I feel like it’ll probably take me longer to make a decision.”
THI: What are your thoughts on how this past season went for Carolina, especially with a lot of young guys getting opportunities to play early on?
RICE: “I would say it took one trendsetter for UNC just to start off and they're gonna keep getting more trendsetters. I would say the biggest thing for me is how they're getting recruits from Virginia. That's very cool. It's something that Virginia Tech and some of the other schools aren't really focusing on, so I would say that's the biggest thing. They have three of their four commits out of Virginia.
"And also I would say, man, they have trendsetters, they have people that work hard. Two years ago, I would have said UNC’s a basketball school and now UNC has flipped everything. That's kind of crazy how you see UNC coming from being unranked in football and now I think they’re going to be top 10 this year.”
THI: I know you’ve got that top eight set, but is there any school that’s taken the lead?
RICE: “I have no top runners. I know I dropped that top eight, but I just want to tell everybody Alabama's got themselves back into it kind of. So, other than that, I really have no top runner.”
