Tony Anyanwu made his one season on South Main memorable, finishing top five in the conference in sacks on his way to being our 2025 Rice Football Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
It’s hard to know for certain what the Transfer Portal is going to bring. When Rice football added former Baylor edge rusher Tony Anyanwu to the fold they were making a bet that the talented recruit who notched just seven tackles in two seasons with the Bears could bring more to the table with the Owls. It turns out the staff was right.
Anyanwu arrived on campus as the presumptive backup to Michael Daley, who would be lost for the season with an injury just four games into the Owls’ 2025 campaign. At that point, snaps were open to any and all who could find a way to get opposing quarterbacks on the ground.
In that same game in which Daley went down, Anyanwu registered two sacks, the best single-game outing of his career by far. And that was as a role player taking on a little bit more responsibility with every passing week.
More: 2025 Rice Football Season Superlatives
“He’s still coming into his own as a pass rusher,” defensive coordinator Jon Kay said. “I think he’s just going to continue to grow as he gets a better understanding of the defense.”
It wasn’t long after Kay started using words like “mainstay” to describe the steadying presence Anyanwu brought to the Rice defense. He became an every-down player, posting what was then a career-best nine-tackle game in the Owls’ upset win over UConn, which drew even more rave reviews from his coaches.
“He can play a lot of positions. He’s just about the most versatile kid out there because you can drop him in coverage. You can put him in an inside technique and get a pass rush. You can put him on the edge,” head coach Scott Abell gushed, rattling off the myriad of ways Anyanwu had proven effective for Rice.
By the time Rice reached its final game in the Armed Forces Bowl against Texas State, Anyanwu was at his best. He finished with seven solo 11 combined tackles, a mark that led the team. He also had 1.5 sacks.
Want More Rice sports news? Subscribe on Patreon
Anyanwu had become much more than a situational edge rusher. He was an essential cog in the Rice defense besieged by injuries. The unit limped to the finish line and was in danger of a collapse had it not been for a handful of indomitable players like Anyanwu, who refused to go out without a fight.
Mixed results on a team level limited the accolades Anyanwu might have received on a larger scale, but the Owls’ go-to pass rusher finished the season tied for third in the American with 6.5 sacks and was Top 20 in the conference in tackles for loss. More often than not, Anyanwu changed the game when he was on the field. The defense would not have been the same without him.
** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **
