Former Ohio DT Cam Rice breaks down transfer to Maryland

Maryland football officially landed its first portal commit five days ago after former Ohio DT Cam Rice went public with his decision, committing to Maryland over offers from Indiana, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Cal, UCF, Minnesota and Purdue among others. And it didn’t take long to get the 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman on board either.

“After talking about it with my family I knew this was the place for me,” Rice told IBG.

Rice began his production run at West Liberty where he posted 89 tackles, 37 TFLs, 14.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions and defensive touchdowns. He then moved onto an Ohio team that won ten games in 2024 where the interior lineman posted 30 tackles, nine TFLs and three sacks before materializing into a coveted portal target that Indiana tried prying away in the final hours ahead of his decision.

After drawing a long list of Power Four interest, Rice began hitting the road for visits to Purdue, Mississippi State and Tennessee before taking a one-day official visit to Maryland on April 16. By the end of the day, Rice made the call for Maryland to give defensive coordinator Ted Monachino and defensive line coach Corey Liuget their veteran piece to plug the interior of the defensive line.

“There are a lot of coaches on the staff with NFL ties and connections which I think will get me best prepared for an opportunity at the next level,” Rice told IBG.

Rice now joins the fold as a defensive tackle as he and St. Francis transfer Eyan Thomas team up to lead the unit into 2025.

“The coaches see me fitting in the scheme really well because of the way I play the game. I am coming in with a veteran presence and mindset, I want to be a leader on this team and help contribute to winning a lot of football games.”

All that came next for Rice was a trip to West Virginia, the school he began his college career at. And the school that sat near and dear to his heart.

Rice, a former quarterback, accepted a preferred walk-on spot with the Mountaineers back in 2021 before moving onto DII West Liberty following a redshirt season. But turning down the chance to step back into the Mountaineer program under Rich Rodriguez – and the chance to head to the school where his grandma, Lori Rice, has served as an administrator for nearly four decades – wasn’t going to be easy.

But after visiting Maryland, all that was left was a trip to Morgantown to tell the Mountaineer staff of his intention to head to Maryland, providing the newest spin on the phrase ‘Free Grandma.’

“I chose Maryland because it feels like the best fit for me. The coaching staff is great and I’m really excited to get to work,” Rice added. “Coach Locks is great, he really made Maryland feel like home.”

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