Antonio Montero, who led Eden Prairie to the Class 6A football state championship and was the Star Tribune’s Metro Player of the Year in 2017, announced via Twitter that he has committed to Rice.

“I want to thank my teammates, the EPHS coaching staff/faculty, and every person that believed in me throughout this process,’’ Montero tweeted on  Wednesday afternoon. “… #RiceUniversity #Committed’’

Montero who played both running back and linebacker for Eden Prairie, along with kicker and punter, projects as a linebacker in college. He led the Eagles with 105 tackles, including 14 for loss, and recovered three fumbles. On offense, he scored 24 touchdowns and kicked 52 extra points and six field goals for 216 points. He was named Minnesota’s Mr. Football by the state coaches association.

Montero visited Rice on Jan. 20, and also had scholarship offers from San Diego State, North Dakota State and Air Force. Montero, who has a three-star ranking from 247Sports.com, was recruited by the Gophers as a preferred walk-on.

Randy Johnson