Things were looking pretty good for Columbus (Ohio) Walnut Ridge running back Brandon Rice just a short while ago.

In the college football world today, however, nothing is as constant as change, and coaching changes have trickle-down effects. Rice is feeling the effects of those changes but is staying positive about the future.

"The coaches that had offered me from Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan got fired," Rice explained. "Ball State already has a couple of commitments at running back so I'm back to square one.

"I've been talking to Syracuse and Ohio. I've been talking to (coach) Mitch Browning from Syracuse ever since he was at Minnesota. He coached up Marion Barber, Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell, a guy that went to school here. He has a great resume. I really hope it works out with them.

"I've mostly talked to Syracuse over the phone. I haven't had a chance to get out there. I've talked to the new coaches from Toledo. They and Ohio have had guys come to the school."

Rice has no plans to take unofficial visits and will wait for invitations before he starts to think about officials.

"I'm probably going to be in contact with the Toledo coach on Saturday. They're breaking down film (Friday) as a staff, so I'll see what my status with them is. It's pretty much the same thing with Syracuse. They're making decisions on what their staff is going to look like. Once that happens I'll have a better picture of where I stand."

Rice is rated the No. 25 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals.com.

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