Raider ready to improve in 2024

The Rice Raiders had a not-so-great 2023 season as far as their record goes but in 2024, they are looking to take the next step and improve as a team.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine had the Raiders coming in sixth in their division of seven teams.

The Raiders may surprise a lot of people because they are underrated from a talent standpoint. Most teams experience a lot of turnover because of graduation but that is not the case with the Raiders.

The Raiders only lost a handful of seniors from last year and have a roster full of players entering their senior year who are ready to step up. D’Neriyan Fuller, R.J. Myers, Dyren Johnson, Ta’Marion Turner and Devron Bennett are all guys ready to change the narrative around the Raiders in their senior season.

Fuller was the top target for the Raiders last season with 433 yards and six touchdowns. Fuller also led the charge on defense for the Raiders with five interceptions.

Their impact on the field is very well documented and fans know just how talented these young men are, but it’s their ability to lead the team off the court that is going to help this team be successful this season. This group has all the competitive fire in the world; they feed off each other and bring the team along.

They represent the Rice Raiders perfectly all while demanding the very best from their teammates. That is going to be important for the Raiders this season because while they are going to have plenty of senior leaders, they have a few underclassmen in high-level positions.

Two of the players are Kordae Johnson and Robert Bennett, who will enter their sophomore and junior seasons. Johnson will be under center for the offense while Bennett will be on the outside as a receiver who will stretch the field and help Johnson settle into the quarterback position.

Johnson has been putting in work in the offseason taking time to work on his quarterback skills. He attended a few quarterbacks camps this summer, even being named MVP at one of them along with being praised as a leader.

There is so much talent on the Raiders roster for 2024 and even more to be excited about as week one approaches quickly. The Raiders will start their season on Friday, Aug. 30, when they go on the road to play East Chambers.