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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Prince Hall commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class continues to stockpile offensive weapons. Ellison wide receiver Prince Hall has committed to the Owls.

Following a spring bent on filling the final roster spots before the 2025 season arrives, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has taken center stage in the focus of the staff on South Main. The Owls entered a busy official visit weekend to cap off the month of May with three commitments in the 2026 class, intent on growing that number. Following his visit, Ellison wide receiver Prince Hall has committed to the Owls.

Hall had received offers from Wake Forest, UTSA, Texas State, Arkansas State, Sacramento State, Navy and others, with interest in his availability ramping up significantly during the spring. Rice jumped into the mix with an offer in mid-March, earning his pledge a few months later.

While he’s listed as an athlete by some services, the plan as of now is for Hall to start with the offense and play wide receiver. With him on board, the 2026 class has the early foundations of an offense brewing. Led by quarterback Aiden Smalls, Rice also has commitments from offensive lineman Clay Mitchell and tight end Colten Cole.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

A two-way player, Hall’s athleticism is one of the first things that jumps out when you turn on the film. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, he’s long with great range and a knack for pinpointing the ball in the air. He can make the first man miss in traffic and powers through contact. Adding him to the Owls’ offense should produce plenty of fireworks.

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AAC Baseball Roundup: UTSA falls in Super Regional Play

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AAC Baseball had two representatives in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. UTSA made it to the second weekend before falling to UCLA in Super Regional Play.

UTSA

UTSA made quick work of the Austin regional, defeating Kansas State in their opening game to set up a rematch with the regional host, Texas. The Roadrunners then defeated the Longhorns for the second time that season, following up on a regular-season win over the Horns several weeks beforehand. That forced Texas to the loser’s bracket.

Texas would make it back to the regional championship, only for UTSA to beat them for a third and final time to punch their ticket to the Super Regional round.

UCLA took care of business in their own Regional round, setting up the matchup with UTSA with a trip to the College World Series on the line. UTSA led early in the first game, taking a 2-0 lead before UCLA leveled the score after the third inning. The Bruins went in front on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, adding a few insurance runs late to win the game, 5-2.

It was all Bruins in Game 2. UCLA scratched across one run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings before breaking through with two runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth, shutting out UTSA 7-0 in the finale to take the series.

East Carolina

Despite entering the postseason with little fanfare, ECU made some noise with an explosive win over Florida in their opening game, sending the 2-seed Gators to the loser’s bracket. The Pirates would join them a day later, falling to regional host Coastal Carolina to setup a rematch with Florida. They beat the Gators again, earning them another shot at the hosts.

A pitcher’s duel ensued with Coastal Carolina edging ECU 1-0 in Game 6 to knock the Pirates out of the postseason.

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Report: Rice Baseball to hire two new assistants

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Rice baseball head coach David Pierce has started to assemble his coaching staff, including a former Rice assistant who is heading back to South Main.

First reported by Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, the first additions to the Rice baseball coaching staff under David Pierce are taking shape. Rogers reports that Clay Van Hook, who spent the last two seasons across town as an assistant with Houston, will join the Owls’ staff. The report also says Pierce intends to hire J.J. Altobelli to his staff.

Van Hook served as an assistant at Rice under Wayne Graham from 2012-2017, arriving on South Main as Pierce was leaving following the 2011 season. While Van Hook was at Rice, the Owls had six consecutive postseason appearances and was part of the team that won the 2013 Oregon Regional.

More: Rice Baseball Season Review – Lineup

Altobelli is the son of legendary Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, who passed away in 2020 when the helicopter he was traveling on crashed in Calabasas, California. That was the same accident that led to the death of former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

After a playing career at Oregon, Altobelli joined the coaching ranks and is currently serving in the Boston Red Sox organization.

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Rice Baseball 2025 Season Review: Lineup

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The offense started slow but grew more consistent as the season progressed, helping Rice baseball stay competitive down the stretch.

It took the Rice baseball offense some time to get going, but by the time head coach David Pierce had taken over and solidified the lineup, the team began to hit its stride at the plate. A delicate mix of talented freshmen and the right veteran pieces made the Owl competitive hitters and provided support the pitching staff needed.

More: Rice Baseball embarks on crucial offseason

Compared to a season ago, this year’s squad had twice as many players hit .270 or better (six), a testament to a deeper lineup with a host of players capable of delivering clutch hits rather than putting all the pressure on any one individual.

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** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **

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Judge Approves Historic House v. NCAA Settlement

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Following a lengthy process, a federal judge on Friday granted final approval of the House v. NCAA Settlement, paving the way for schools to pay athletes directly.

In a landmark decision that will alter the landscape of collegiate sports, Judge Claudia Wilken of the Northern District of California approved a far-reaching settlement of the House v. NCAA case on Friday. The settlement touches on a host of important issues:

1. $2.8 billion in back pay to former NCAA athletes

The settlement will reward damages to athletes dating back to 2016 who were not allowed to sign NIL deals and thus were not able to profit in the same way current athletes are able. The bulk of this money is expected to go to former football and men’s basketball players.

2. $20.5 million in revenue sharing per school

A formula derived from a percentage of average power school revenues will establish a maximum revenue sharing pool for each institution, expected to be around $20.5 million for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year. Schools are not required to spend this much — many won’t — and distributions are expected to weigh heavily toward football.

3. Roster Limits

All roster spots can now be given scholarships with defined limits for each sport. For example, football rosters are now capped at 105 players (previously 85), and any number of those players are allowed to be given scholarships. Baseball (previously allowed 11.7 scholarships) can now scholarship as many as 34 players.

4. NIL Clearinghouse

A Deloitte-run NIL clearinghouse will be established. All third-party deals of at least $600 must go through that clearinghouse to be either approved or disapproved, with mechanisms existing for resubmission and alteration of said deals.

What’s Next?

Ross Dellenger (Yahoo) and The Athletic have written in more detail about the settlement. The ramifications of this massive decision are only just beginning. More details will come out over the days and weeks ahead.

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