When you are the scion of the best to play in the sport, the scrutiny on you on-field is unparalleled. And it only heightens when you enter the NFL draft since the best of the teams have their eyes set on recruiting you. NFL Hall Of Famer Jerry Rice’s son finds himself in a similar situation. The 6’2″ WR has piqued the interest of several heavyweights in the mix. Rice is projected as a second or third receiver at the NFL level.

As he gears up for the big draft day, Keyshawn Johnson had a question whose answer was long-awaited by fans. Does he regret leaving Colorado before Deion Sanders swooped into the program to flip its future? He sure does, but the reason is not stemming from Deion Sanders. “I think I would definitely have been at Colorado just to play with Shedeur,” Rice confessed, lauding Shedeur Sanders’ reign as a QB in Colorado. “I think he’s a legendary quarterback,” Rice further added.

The WR’s answers shut down all the Sanders rumors surrounding Rice’s departure from Colorado. The WR left for USC in January 2022, just around when Deion Sanders took over the head coaching duties at the Buffs. This birthed the obvious question of Deion Sanders being one reason behind Rice hitting the transfer portal. Rice’s straight-up regret in leaving Colorado comes as a big shutdown for all the speculations of this nature.

As Rice said to 247 Sports, the real reason behind him leaving Colorado was something entirely else. The WR was quite unsure of his decision to shift to USC. He even considered reversing his decision, and returning to Colorado, until he got a call from Lincoln Riley. “I get a couple of other calls, but as soon as you heard Lincoln call, you just had to go. Especially with like USC and its big name. You gotta come. You have to. Man, it was quick. I was shocked,” Rice said. It was a wager that Rice played then, a major one, but now the shift to USC seems to have worked out for the WR just fine.

Brenden Rice’s then and now

Caleb Williams transferred to USC two weeks after Rice, setting them up to be the formidable QB-WR duo in the CFB. Thanks to that, Rice was second on the Trojans in the 2023 season, with 45 catches for 791 receiving yards. He led the team with 12 touchdown receptions.

READ ALSO: “Just to Play With Shedeur [Sanders]”: Caleb Williams’ WR Teammate Gets Real on Missed Opportunity to Join Deion’s ‘Prime Effect’

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Rice is one of the most massive WRs in the 2024 draft class. Even at the NFL Combine week in Indianapolis, Rice turned many scouting coaches’ heads. 4.50 seconds for the 40-yard dash, the 10-yard dash in 1.55 seconds, 36.5″ in the vertical jump, and 9’11” in the broad jump. Even though he did not participate in 3-cone and shuttle, Rice’s performance was enough to impress everyone. It will be interesting to see who will land Brenden Rice in the 2024 Draft.

USC Pro-Bowl News: QB Caleb Williams to Throw to Brenden Rice and Marshawn Lloyd in Showcase Drills