Rice's Walter brothers creating a strong legacy again

Twin brothers finishing careers at Rice

HOUSTON – A special connection to say the least for a pair of Rice Owl seniors laying the foundation for the future and it's not the first time this unique doing has put in that work.

Austin and Aston Walter are brothers, twin brothers, playing their senior seasons together at Rice. They've been together on the football field their entire lives, through pee-wee, then in the backfield at Crosby high school, now as Owls in year one under new head coach Mike Bloomgren.

"Not only are they talented, but they are going to give you everything they've got," Bloomgren said of the twins. 

"They are guys that come out here with their hard hat and work everyday."

"Just two great kids to coach," said Jeff Riordan, head coach at Crosby high school. "Loved coaching them every minute that I had them."

The brothers were already stars at Crosby when Riordan took the head coaching job before their junior seasons.

"I was looking into this job (at Crosby)," Riordan said. "All the information I found, talked about the twins, Aston and Austin."

From player of the week trophies, to pictures of them throughout the locker room, their presence is still felt at Crosby. 

"There's Aston running the read game, right here," Riordan said, as he pointed to one of the pictures of the two of them in the Cougars backfield.

"That's brother-to-brother love right there." 

They'd been at Rice for three seasons before Bloomgren came in prior to their senior seasons.

"They have been phenomenal for this team, trying to do everything the right way and trying to advance our mission, our culture," Bloomgren said. 

"I feel like me and him we have been through this process before," Austin said. 

"To see where Crosby has come from when we first got there to now that felt good. We know that with coach Bloom and his coaching staff, it's just the same thing," he continued.

Attending Rice after starring together at Crosby, where Aston was was the quarterback and Austin was the running back, the hope was they would just continue enjoying being together and playing football together, something they'd always done.

"(Coming to Rice), I thought it would just be a continuation of what we've been doing from little league, all the way to Crosby high school," Aston said.

"Now here, it's just another chapter to our journey."

To have a twin, to have your best friend, to play alongside of him all throughout your entire life," Austin said. "You can't ask for anything else."

They clearly have a connection on the field.

"It's chemistry, so when in doubt, I just have that feeling that's he's going to be there," Aston said.

"More than chemistry, it's twin telepathy in my opinion," Austin said. "We can just read each other's minds. It's just so natural for us."

Austin leads the team in rushing and rushing touchdowns and he's also second on the team in receptions. 

Aston has been vital to their pass protection as a blocker in their passing game, but also turned in one of the biggest plays of the year in the team's season-opening win.

"He (Aston) takes his one carry of the day after being a warrior all day in pass protection, but that one carry ends up going 25 yards, huge run for us," Bloomgren said of Aston's run that set up the game-winning field goal.

"When we needed that play the most, just to see him step up and make that play, just made me feel good, I was really proud of him," Austin said of Aston's key play.

They're both excited to go their own way and make their own path in the future, but said there's no doubt they'll stay close, probably talk to each other every day and see each other as often as possible.