VMI’s Rice is eager to lead a competitive running back team

LEXINGTON, Virginia. – Since arriving at VMI, he hasn’t missed a single game – he’s constantly improving and showing his worth. Hunter Rice is like a Duralast car battery – built to last.

Following the 2023 season in which he was named to the All-Conference second team and was voted team captain for that year, there are no signs that the Lord Botetourt graduate will be slowing down anytime soon.

There’s always room for improvement individually, but there’s not much Rice hasn’t already accomplished. Last year, he ran for nearly 900 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He even threw the ball a couple times, going 3-of-3 and scoring a touchdown. There’s no doubt that Rice can catch the ball out of the backfield as well. A hard-working senior like Rice will benefit the Keydets again with a coaching staff focused on unlocking his full potential.

“He works really hard. He’s very dedicated. He’s very talented,” VMI head coach Danny Rocco said. “I think we have a little bit of a better idea of ​​how to utilize him. Since we came far last season, I think we’ve kind of figured that out, you know, and we’re going to continue to build on that this year. But he’s going to get the ball a lot and a lot of those are going to be downhill runs. But we also have plans to utilize him in other ways. And again, not to diminish our receiver group. I’m really happy with the talent that we have in our receiver group. I just feel like we’re going to be more balanced this year.”

Rice is one of the team captains this season and benefits from his position within his own group.

“I think we have 10 guys in there. We have a lot of depth. Everyone here is great,” Rice said. “Kam is great, too. He’s learning. He’s getting the hang of it. But we come here every day. We push each other. It’s a competitive room, and that’s how I love rooms. We’ve always had a competitive running back room.”

Of the 10 VMI running backs on the roster, four are from our area. They include freshman and North Cross graduate Kam Johnson, mentioned by Rice, and former Alleghany star Garrett Via.

VMI opens the 2024 season on Thursday evening away at William & Mary. Kickoff in Williamsburg is at 7 p.m.