Imagine being a program in Texas that has to recruit against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears, among other schools from out of the area looking to pluck Texan talent.

Oh, and to add to that scenario, your program is not known for winning and also has tough academic standards. Yeah, Rice is a tough place to recruit at and, to me, is the toughest in the country.

Edwin Weathersby is the College Football Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. He has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects and writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (formerly ESPN Rise-HS). A syndicated scout and writer, he has also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.