When he was at Virginia Tech, guard Rodney Rice was going to be a big part of the Hokies' 2023-24 team. However, before the season started, he announced that he was leaving the program in October, less than a month before the season was to begin. Last spring, he entered the transfer portal.
He ended up committing to Maryland and Kevin Willard. He was part of a Terrapins team that made a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament after a last-second victory over Colorado State in the second round. Their run ended up coming to an end against Florida in the Sweet 16.
After that game, Willard jumped ship from Maryland and went to Villanova in the Big East, and it didn't take long for Rice to hit the transfer portal again. He took some visits to some schools, even Villanova with Willard, but he ended up remaining in the Big Ten, this time at his third school in as many years.
Former Virginia Tech guard Rodney Rice commits to USC in the transfer portal
After being sought-after by multiple schools, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Rice is staying in the Big Ten, committing to USC. This past season for the Terrapins, Rice averaged 13.8 points a game, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists. In his one season in Blacksburg in 2022-23, he played in eight games, avergaing just under 10 minutes a game and averaging 7.4 points a night.
Rice, who had 22 points against the Trojans in February in the team's only meeting this season, was a big loss for Virginia Tech leaving them shorthanded with ballhandlers and dropping most of those responsibilites on Sean Pedulla. This past season at Maryland, he reminded Hokies fans what could have been had he stayed, but like a lot of other players this time of the year, he's on the move to another new home in the portal.