ARLINGTON — Assuming other collegiate programs don’t discover Arlington Martin High School’s hidden gem and make competing offers, Rice University just made a step toward keeping pace with its Conference USA rivals.
Juma Otoviano, a senior dual threat quarterback that helped the Warriors finish 11-2 overall and 6-1 in District 4, committed to Rice via Twitter on Tuesday.
Committed! 🦉 pic.twitter.com/51lZ5Q9PbV
— Juma ♏️ (@JOtoviano) January 16, 2018
Otoviano completed 59 of his 103 passes for 1,022 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions and ran for 684 yards and 20 TDs during Arlington Martin’s run to the regional round of the University Interscholastic League 6A playoffs.
The 5-foot-10 dynamo accumulated 1,481 yards and 24 TDs — including a season-high 269 yards against Timber Creek High School — as a primary running back during his junior season.
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Jerry Mack left North Carolina Central to accept the offensive coordinator position at Rice in early December. Photo courtesy HBCU Sports
Otoviano is expected to become a valuable weapon in Jerry Mack’s Owl offense. If he signs a National Letter of Intent with Rice, he will join a stable of Texas backs that include Crosby’s Aston and Austin Walter, Cypress Woods’ Samuel Stewart, and Trinity Christian Academy’s Nation Ellerbe.
According to 247Sports, the Owls have five signed after the December early signing period. All Saints Episcopal cornerback Andrew Bird, Arlington Height’s Ja’Quez Battley, Bishop Dunne cornerback Jason White, Houston Strake Jesuit defensive end Miles Adams, and Richardson Pearce offensive tackle Clay Servin are all already on Rice’s books.
Otoviano joins Cibolo Steele’s Brendan Brady and Southlake Carroll’s Jacob Doddridge as not only the 2018 class’ most talented hard commits, but also as its only three-star athletes.
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Marcus Matthews-Marion is the managing editor of TexasHSFootball, covering prep football throughout the Lone Star State and collegiate and professional football throughout the country. Follow him on Twitter, @TheMJMatthews, and read more of his content here.
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