Rice Football 2026 Spring Practice Notebook 1: Ahead of the Game

This piece is part of our 2026 Rice Football Season Preview.
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In head coach Scott Abell's second spring, Rice football hopes to benefit from the momentum the program generated in the fall. Here's what's stood out so far.

A whirlwind offseason entered its next stage this past week as Rice football returned to the grass to open spring practice. Not too far removed from an appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl in January -- only really pausing to reload the roster via the Transfer Portal since -- the Owls are back in action, seeking to make further strides in Year 2 under Abell and his staff.

“I’m fired up. It’s been a short winter for us, playing such a late bowl game and then with the whole portal being moved into January, but we were able to get a lot accomplished these past really eight weeks leading up to this," Abell said. "Our guys are ready to be out here and we’re excited now to really begin to put what we’ve talked about all offseason onto the field here today.”

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