The source for Rice sports news
Head Coach: Willie Fritz
Record at School: 4-8 (1 Yr) | Career FBS Record 75-62 (11 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Slade Nagle | Defensive Coordinator: Austin Armstrong
A favorite from the former digital magazine editions of the season preview, this Rice football extended schedule includes series breakdowns, updated coaching information/records and more for each of the Owls’ 2025 opponents.
This piece is part of our 2025 Rice Football Season Preview. Get access to it, as well as all other preview posts such as positional breakdowns, depth chart and schedule analysis and more when you subscribe on Patreon today.
| Aug. 30 | @ Louisiana | 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | Lafayette, LA |
| Sep. 6 | Houston | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | Houston, TX |
| Sep. 13 | PVAMU | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | Houston, TX |
| Sep. 18 (Thr) | @ Charlotte | 6:30 PM | ESPN | Charlotte, NC |
| Sep. 27 | @ Navy | 2:30 pm | CBS Sports Network | Annapolis, MD |
| Oct. 4 | FAU | TBA | ESPN Networks | Houston, TX |
| Oct. 11 | @ UTSA | TBA | ESPN Networks | San Antonio, TX |
| Oct. 25 | UConn | TBA | ESPN Networks | Houston, TX |
| Oct. 31 (Fri) | Memphis | 6:00 PM | ESPN2 | Houston, TX |
| Nov. 8 | UAB | TBA | ESPN Networks | Houston, TX |
| Nov. 22 | North Texas | TBA | ESPN Networks | Houston, TX |
| Nov. 29 | @ USF | TBA | ESPN Networks | Tampa, FL |
The fourth edition of our Rice Football opponent summer preview series is in your podcast feeds. Returning guest Evan Dudley, who’s covered UAB throughout its rise, fall and subsequent bottoming out under new head coach Trent Dilfer, checks in with us to review the Blazers’ offseason. Is there hope for 2025? Listen in.
You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 202.
The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.
We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!
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An action-packed weekend on South Main doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off a wave of commitments in recent days, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class continues to stockpile talent. This time, Rice has added its first specialist of the class into the fold. Kicker Tommy Baucheiro from Brentwood Academy (TN) has committed to the Owls.
Bauchiero also had an offer from UConn at the time of his commitment, picking the blue and white Owls over the similarly color-schemed Huskies. He earned his Rice offer in camp a few weeks ago by winning the field goal and kickoff competition.
The addition of Bauchiero brings the 2026 class to 11 members, and counting. He’s one of four players to announce a commitment to the Owls in the past four days, proof of an exciting round of camps and official visits on campus over recent weeks. SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford, linebacker Jayden Cupitt and corner James Henderson are the other new additions from the weekend.
Bauchiero’s highlights are exactly what you’d expect to see from a kicking prospect. He kicks the ball hard and far, including a 59-yard field goal during the year. He’s got a big leg and will give the Owls a kickoff man, in addition to his field goal duties.
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After a run of defensive additions to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class, the offense got back on board in a big way. Listed as a wide receiver in some places and an athlete in others, the Owls’ latest addition is a perfect fit to play in the SLOT in this offense. Gosnell (AR) wide receiver Jai Jacobs-Ford has committed to the Owls.
Jacobs-Ford managed to fly a little bit under the radar throughout the spring, picking up offers from Sacramento State, Cornell and Central Arkansas, among others, before Rice football jumped into the mix with a formal offer in May. Following an official visit to campus in June, Jacobs-Ford had seen enough and made his pledge to the Blue and Gray.
“Coach Abell and [coach Eisenhofer] and the rest of the staff made me feel like I was at home,” Jacobs-Ford told The Roost. “The players played a big part in it. I like how everyone gets along. I also love the offense and the academics.”
The offensive skill talent in the 2026 class has really started to take shape with Jacobs-Ford into the mix. He joins fellow SLOT Jacob Swain and wide receiver Prince Hall, who have made their pledges in the past month. That’s a lot of athleticism for quarterback commit Aiden Smalls to work with.
It’s probably no coincidence that the camera visibly blurs on the first rep of Jacobs-Ford’s highlight tape. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound pass catcher is lightning fast and explosive, able to make a move and accelerate into the open field. He’s going to be a lot of fun to watch in the Owls’ spread option attack.
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