2019 Rice Player Spotlight: Wiley Green

Courtesy Rice athletics

Share or Save for Later

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Save to Favorites

Given the time and place — slightly past high noon on the Rice campus, hard by the Texas Medical Center and the toney enclave of West University Place – the question begged asking: Why did Wiley Green wear his black cowboy hat on this given Wednesday?

“Because I wore my white one the last two weeks,” Green said.

Oh.

Along with teammates Clay Servin and Cole Garcia, Green, the Owls’ redshirt freshman quarterback from Coppell and Plano Prestonwood Christian, is trying to implement “Cowboy Wednesday” on the Rice campus.

“We’re trying to make it a movement,” Green said. “It may not be for everyone, though.”

Green has picked up a few adherents — his roommate Robert French, a couple of Rice baseball players, some potential recruits in the Owls’ basketball team — in his effort to “bring a little country to the city.”

Green, who started three games last year and played in four, allowing him to count 2018 as a redshirt season, ended spring practice as the front-run- ner to start this fall despite a less-than-satisfactory performance in the final scrimmage and the impend- ing arrival of graduate transfer Tom Stewart, who threw 14 touchdown passes last year for fair Harvard.

Green grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but made annual trips to a family farm in Louisiana, which accounts for his choice of headgear. He played two years at Coppell before transferring to Prestonwood, where he led the team to a TAPPS championship as a senior.

Green played against FIU, North Texas and UTEP, throwing for 313 yards against the Miners, and started Rice’s season finale, a 27-13 win against Old Dominion that capped a 2-11 finish.

He said he was pleased with his development during spring but hit a rough patch in the final public scrimmage, completing just 4-of-20 for 99 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

As he awaits the summertime challenge to start the season opener at Army, Green said he will continue studying and continue to pick up Cowboy Wednesday acolytes such as tight end Jordan Myers of Dickinson.

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Myers said. “My dad likes to rock the cowboy hat. And I’ve got some boots.”

As for other changes, Green said, “I’m thinking about a mullet. Not sure what the parents would think, but it’s something I’m looking forward to.”

This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.

Sign In