Brenden Rice opens up on challenges of being Jerry Rice's son

It’s never the easiest life to live growing up in the shadow of a superstar athlete, especially if your father is Jerry Rice, a former Super Bowl-winning wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers that many regard as the greatest football player of all time.

To Brenden Rice, Jerry’s son, that’s something he was always going to have to face since the moment he was born.

“So people already realize me as Jerry Rice’s son. So just getting into that already, they already expect me to come with the cockiness and everything,” Brenden Rice said. “But what happens when he’s quiet and he makes that catch, because you know he’s supposed to do that? What happens if he goes up top, scores a touchdown, and comes and daps you up? Oh, yeah, that’s some disrespectful stuff right there.

“They line up on the opposite side of the ball of me, ‘Where’s your daddy, boy?’ Man, I’ve heard it all. ‘Oh, B. Rice who?’ Everything.”

Brenden Rice is now heading into his third collegiate season, but his first with the USC Trojans. He spent his first two with Colorado, redshirting his true freshman season, but stepped into a limited role with the Bison in 2021 by hauling in 21 receptions for 399 yards and three touchdowns.

He was the No. 60 wide receiver in this year’s portal cycle when he entered, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings, and quickly noticed the transfer portal empire new head coach Lincoln Riley was building and knew he needed to be a part of it.

“When I hopped in the portal, I was still shaky about it,” Rice said during spring spractice. “I thought about going back to Colorado. Next thing you know, I’m on the phone with Lincoln and within the first 15 minutes, 30 minutes I’m like, ‘Wow.’ He sells me. I get a couple of other calls, but as soon as I heard Lincoln call, you’re gonna have to go. Especially being in a situation where USC has the biggest names, biggest wide receivers. You have to. …I went straight to my mother and texted my dad that I’m going to Cali.”

While his production wasn’t what he expected it to be during his time with Colorado, he’s now allowed a fresh start in Los Angeles with the national spotlight shining on the Trojans’ offensive side of the ball. If one thing is for certain, that spotlight is something his father didn’t have at his disposal at his age during his time at Mississippi Valley State University.