2022 Signing Day
Roster
Brenden Rice
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 205
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Chandler, AZ
- High School:
- Hamilton HS/Colorado
CAREER: In his 2-year (2020-21) career at Colorado, he had 27 receptions for 419 yards (15.5 avg) with 5 TDs, plus 19 kickoff returns for 506 yards (26.6 avg), an 81-yard scoring punt return and 6 carries for 54 yards (9.0 avg) while appearing in 17 games (with 12 starts). He had a pair of 100-yard receiving games in his career.
COLORADO: He was one of the Pac-12’s top wideouts and kick returners as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Overall while starting all 11 games he played in 2021 (he missed Utah with an injury), he had 21 receptions for 299 yards (14.2 avg), both second on the team, with 3 TDs, along with 17 kickoff returns for 469 yards (27.6 avg), both team highs, and 6 carries for 54 yards (9.0 avg). He ranked 14th nationally in kickoff returns (27.6 avg, third in Pac-12).
He had a 44-yard kickoff return against Northern Colorado, 2 catches for 10 yards against Texas A&M, 3 receptions for 25 yards and a 22-yard kickoff return against Minnesota, 2 catches for 9 yards, 2 kickoff returns for 37 yards and a 15-yard rush at Arizona State, a 17-yard reception and 15-yard kick return versus USC, 3 catches for 111 yards (with a 62-yard TD) and 2 carries for 9 yards against Arizona, a 6-yard grab and 2 kickoff returns for 87 yards at California, 5 catches for 102 yards with a TD, 6 kickoff returns for 162 yards and a 17-yard rush at Oregon, a 5-yard TD catch, 34-yard kickoff return and 2 rushes for 13 yards against Oregon State and 3 catches for 14 yards and 3 kick returns for 68 yards at UCLA.
As a first-year freshman in 2020 while appearing in all 6 games (with 1 start, versus Texas in the Alamo Bowl), he had 6 receptions for 120 yards (20.0 avg) with 2 TDs, 2 kickoff returns for 37 yards (18.5 avg) and an 81-yard punt return for a TD. He won Colorado’s Lee Willard Award on offense as the team’s top freshman. He had 1 catch for 5 yards against UCLA, then had 2 grabs for 38 yards at Stanford, including a 34-yard TD, and 2 receptions for 16 yards versus San Diego State. He had a 61-yard TD catch and 81-yard scoring punt return against Utah, along with 2 kickoff returns for 37 yards, to become the first Buffalo since 1987 with a scoring catch and return in a game. He made the 2020 National Football Foundation Academic All-Colorado first team.
HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2019 PrepStar All-West Region, MaxPreps All-Arizona first team and Arizona Republic All-Arizona as a senior wide receiver at Hamilton High in Chandler (Ariz.). In his career, he had 123 receptions for 2,139 yards (17.4 avg) with 27 TDs. As a senior in 2019, he had 49 catches for 851 yards (17.4 avg) with 9 TDs (with a quartet of 100-yard receiving outings) and an 8-yard scoring run on offense, plus 15 tackles and a deflection on defense and 12 kickoff returns for 244 yards (20.3 avg) and 6 punt returns for 20 yards (3.3 avg) on special teams.
As a 2018 junior, he made All-Arizona as he had 49 receptions for 729 yards (14.9 avg) with 11 TDs on offense, and added 17 tackles and an interception on defense and 3 kickoff returns for 66 yards (22.0 avg) and 5 punt returns for 75 yards (15.0 avg) on special teams.
As a 2017 sophomore, he had 25 catches for 559 yards (22.4 avg) with 7 TDs and 6 kickoff returns for 53 yards (8.8 avg).
He also played basketball and was a sprinter on the track team (with a best of 10.78 in the 100 meters and 21.84 in the 200 meters for third place finishes at the 2019 state Division I meet) at Hamilton.
PERSONAL: His father is legendary College and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, who starred at Mississippi Valley State (1981-84), where he was a 2-time All-American, and for the San Francisco 49ers (1985-2000), where he was on 3 Super Bowl champions (MVP in XXIII, plus XXIV, XXIX), Oakland Raiders (2001-04), Seattle Seahawks (2004) and Denver Broncos (2004) and set NFL records for career receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving touchdowns (197). His brother, Qualen Cunningham, was a defensive end at Texas A&M (2014-17). His half-brother, Jerry Rice Jr., was a wide receiver at UCLA (2011-12) and UNLV (2013). His stepfather, Rick Cunningham, was an offensive lineman at Oregon State and Texas A&M (1988-89) and in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts (1990), Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1992094), Minnesota Vikings (1995), Oakland Raiders (1996-98) and in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes (2000, 2002) and Edmonton Eskimos (2001-02). He has done community service with the Feed My Starving Children non-profit organization.
