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Rice Football Recruiting: CB Tariq Watson commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is doubling down on defensive backs in the Transfer Portal. Former UAB corner Tariq Watson has committed to the Owls.

Graduation and transfer attrition made corner a position of priority in the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. In the week since the Transfer Portal opened, Rice has now picked up two pledges at the position, including their most recent add from an American Conference program. Former UAB corner Tariq Watson has committed to the Owls.

Watson committed to Minnesota out of high school and, after redshirting his freshman season in 2022, played all 13 games for the Gophers before transferring to UAB. He played in 11 games for the Blazers that year, starting one, before becoming a mainstay in 2025, starting seven games while appearing in nine.

With Watson aboard, Rice football has arguably filled its biggest portal needs this cycle. They added a pair of quarterbacks in former UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown and former UNLV passer Gael Ochoa as well as another corner, Coastal Carolina’s Zach Cody.

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In Watson, Rice gets a 5-foot-10, 185 pound veteran who immediately bolsters a room in need of bodies, preferably ones with experience at the FBS level. A former track athlete, the tape shows Watson can run and plays with aggression, two attributes that make him a nice fit for the Owls’ defense.

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Rice Women’s Basketball Crushes Charlotte

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Rice women’s basketball completed a sweep in the Sunshine State, taking down Florida Atlantic a few days after knocking off South Florida on the road.

Rice women’s basketball has won a lot of games this year, but few of them were less eventful than the contest they played against Charlotte on Wednesday night. Even though Rice trailed by as many as six points in the early moments of the second quarter the red-hot shooting of Louanne Battiston made it clear the home team wouldn’t be behind for long.

When Rice finally regained the lead midway through the second quarter they were off to the races. An 11-point halftime lead snowballed to 27 as the third quarter began to wind down. By the time the fourth arrived, both sides knew the game way over.

MORE: Rice Women’s Basketball Midseason State of the Program

Most of the starters were off the floor by the final media timeout, save for Battiston who earned the right to finish the game after her tremendous 20-point outburst, which included four three-pointers plus a block and a steal.

With the victory, Rice women’s basketball improves to 13-3 on the season and 7-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 84, Charlotte 59

Key takeaway | The Best Kind of Boring

Rice women’s basketball did not win a single game by double digits in their first six games. Granted, there were some tough opponents in that stretch, but even the games the Owls’ controlled were closer calls than they might have liked. That switch flipped in Puerto Rico, though.

Even with a one point loss to UCF accounted for, Rice has won seven of their last 10 games by 16 or more points, leading up to Wednesday’s 25-point blowout. They’ve won nine of 10 and look to be in cruise control for the first time this season.

Good teams find ways to win. Great teams never let the other team have a chance. The Owls are looking to prove they’re in the latter group. More wins like this will help that cause.

Up Next: vs UAB (Wed. Jan. 14 at 7:00 pm)

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Rice Basketball Hangs On to Beat Wichita State

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Rice Basketball never trailed in the second half, fending off a late rally to defeat Wichita State in the Owls’ first true road win of the season.

A flurry of threes put Wichita State in the driver’s seat early on in their game against Rice basketball on Wednesday. The Owls trailed for the first 15 minutes of the contest before they hit their first three of the night from Jalen Smith, tying the game at 19 apiece.

From there, Rice would prove to be the aggressor. The Owls took a three point lead into halftime and grew their advantage in the second half, doing most of their damage in the paint, using the long ball as an occasional exclamation point. Cam Carroll’s three with just over 11 minutes to go stretched the Rice lead to 13, the largest by either team.

MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

As has been the case in so many Rice games this year, the Owls’ opponents had a second half run in them. The Shockers rattled off a 12-2 burst to get right back in the game, eventually leveling the score at 56-all with 4:31 to play.

Even a seven point lead with 41 seconds to play wasn’t safe. Wichita State was able to get back within three, force a turnover and come dangerously close to a foul on a made three point shot. The officials ruled the foul on the court and Rice escaped with the win.

Final Box | Rice 66, Wichita State 64

Key takeaway | Finding a way on the Road

Entering Wednesday, Rice basketball was 1-6 away from Tudor Fieldhouse. It’s not as if they hadn’t played close games, but those games had too often slipped out of reach by the time the final buzzer sounded. Finishing has been a problem for this team all season and one, which made this rigorous 40-minute battle all the more important.

Veteran guard Trae Broadnax, who was limited to four points in the first half, came alive down the stretch, making several key shots late in the game to keep Wichita State at bay. The team was able to overcome Wichita State’s late rally, and while they did briefly lose the lead, Wichita State never led in the second half. Finally, Rice basketball had finished and just as important, proved that they can.

Up Next: vs Charlotte (Sun, Jan. 11 at 1:00 pm)

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Rice Football Recruiting: P Charlie Durkin commits to Owls

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A Transfer Portal addition on the special teams front has joined the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Kent State punter Charlie Durkin has committed to the Owls.

After making a splash with additions on the offense and defensive side of the ball, the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting has its first new member on special teams. Former Kent State punter Charlie Durkin has committed to the Owls.

Durkin slides into a roster spot vacated by departing punter Alex Bacchetta, who elected to transfer from the Owls’ program this winter after an improved campaign in 2025.

Bacchetta’s 2024 season bears a striking resemblance to Durkin’s 2025. Last year Bacchetta averaged 41.2 yards per punt with a 37.7 net, whereas this season Durkin averaged 41.1 yards per punt with a 37.0 net. Bacchetta boosted both marks by about three yards this year. If Durkin can make a similar stride he could prove to be a steal for the Owls in this cycle.

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Durkin marks the fourth D1 transfer to join the class to this point. The headliner is UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown, but Rice also added second-year quarterback Gael Ochoa from UNLV as well as corner Zach Cody from Coastal Carolina.

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Rice Football Recruiting: QB Gael Ochoa commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class doubled down at the most important position, adding another passer to the fold. Former UNLV quarterback Gael Ochoa has committed to the Owls.

The departure of multiple quarterbacks this offseason left a pair of spots to be addressed at the position in the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class. The staff took a two-pronged approach, adding an instant-impact grad transfer and a younger player to develop. The latter is the Owls’ potential future at the position. Former UNLV quarterback Gael Ochoa has committed to the Owls.

A Texas native from El Paso, Ochoa signed with UNLV out of high school. He redshirted during the 2024 season before being jumped in line at the position when the Rebels added Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea and Michigan quarterback Alex Orji. With the uncertainty surrounding that position at UNLV right now, Ochoa opted for the portal and a return to his home state.

The signing of former UCF quarterback Jacurri Brown was the headline addition at the position for the 2026 class, and understandably so. Ochoa made his formal pledge to the Owls with full knowledge they’d be bringing in Brown. With three years of eligibility remaining, Ochoa addresses the future need with Brown slotted in to start this coming season.

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Even when going back to look at Ocho’s high school tape, there are clear markers of a player comfortable in space who can make plays with his legs while remaining ready to strike deep. He possesses good field vision and is instinctive. Given a couple of seasons to mature in the Owls’ system, Ochoa is a high upside bet the staff made sure to get on campus.

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