Jan. 8, 2007

While signing day for high school football recruits is a little over a month away, the Rice Owls already have a pair of newcomers on campus for the start of second semester.

William Hinton, an offensive lineman from Jones County (MS) JC and James Casey, a defensive end prospect who spent the last four years playing professional baseball, began classes on Monday with the start of the second semester.

Hinton (6-5, 290) was a starter for a Jones squad that was ranked as high as fourth in the nation in the national junior college poll before losing its final three games of the season. He had 35 knockdowns and 10 pancakes and lead in knockdowns and pancakes in five of the nine games. He is a 2005 graduate of Richton (MS) High School.

Casey (6-4, 230) was a two-sport start at Azle (TX) High School, playing quarterback and safety in football, in addition to being a standout pitcher in baseball. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the 2003 draft and played for three seasons in their farm system. He was released by the Sox in 2005 and was played in 2006 for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association.

Both Hinton and Casey will count as part of the Owls 2007 recruiting class, which will be announced on February 7.