The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has landed a key special teams addition. Woodlands College Park long snapper Hamilton Sharpe has committed to the Owls.
Special teams offers at the D1 level are few and far between. For a school to spend a scholarship slot on one of those spots often requires an exceptional talent and a specific need. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class required one such key piece. Long snapper Hamilton Sharpe has committed to the Owls.
A four-star rated long snapper by the Kohl’s Kicking Academy, Sharpe has offers from Florida Atlantic, UTEP and Prairie View before Rice jumped into the mix in mid-October. Weeks later, Sharpe had made his decision and committed to Rice.
“It is clear that Coach Abell and his staff are really committed to changing the standard at Rice and truly bringing success,” Sharpe told The Roost. “That’s something I really want to be a part of.”
Sharpe brings the commitment count of the 2026 class up to 18 players. He’s the second special teams representative alongside kicker Tommy Bauchiero, who committed to the Owls this summer.
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The tape is good, but that’s to be expected when recruiting a specialist, where consistency over hundreds of reps is the end goal. Sharpe certainly understands those expectations.
“My consistency is one aspect that I’m very proud of. Even though the snaps may not be perfect every time, there’s definitely a quality that is guaranteed,” he said. “That consistency takes a lot of stress off the holder and punter and allows for them to just focus on doing their job.”
