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Rice Football 2025 Spring Roster Notes

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The first edition of the 2025 Rice Football Spring semester roster has been released, and it contains several fascinating takeaways.

School is back in session and a parliament of Owls, both new and old have adorn the first release of the 2025 Rice Football roster. Some names are familiar. Many are not. Here’s a rundown of the transfer Portal additions, subtractions and everything in between.

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They’re Back!

It’s hard to say for sure what next year’s roster will look like in the era of the Transfer Portal. And while things can and will vary by the time Rice football kicks off its season in the fall, this first roster update of the spring semester does include several noteworthy names who’s availability was uncertain, for one reason or another, in December.

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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Cole Morgan commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class is getting more help in the trenches. Michigan offensive line transfer Cole Morgan has committed to the Owls.

The run on talent in the trenches continues for the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. On the same day they picked up a pledge from defensive enforcer Dillan Botts from Mary Hardin-Baylor, the Owls added a big man on the other side of the line, too. Michigan transfer offensive lineman Cole Morgan has committed to the Owls.

Following two years spent at Michigan, Morgan quickly garnered interest from a host of Group of 5 programs when he entered the Transfer Portal earlier this winter. He picked up offers from Toledo, FAU, Central Michigan, New Mexico and Utah State, among others before Rice entered the picture in early January. Less than two weeks later, Morgan was South Main bound.

With Morgan on board, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is 20 players deep and counting. That includes seven incoming additions from the Transfer Portal, four of which have come on board in the last week: Morgan and the aforementioned Botts as well as UTSA kicker Chase Allen and Yale offensive lineman Sean Sullivan.

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Morgan projects as an interior player at Rice, his primary position while at Michigan. There’s not much in the way of game film for Morgan, but the available highlights from practice paint a picture of a sturdy, 6-foot-4, 285-pound blocker who can move, making him a nice pickup for the Rice offense. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

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Rice Women’s Basketball surges past Memphis

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Rice Women’s Basketball overcame a slow start to take down Memphis behind 10 blocks and a big double-double from Shelby Hayes.

The defensive effort was impressive from both sides of Sunday’s afternoon tilt between Rice Women’s basketball and Memphis, particularly in the first half. The two teams combined for 19 field goals before intermission, each shooting 30 percent from the floor and going a combined 2-for-18 from three.

It was Rice who dominated the glass from the start, but that advantage didn’t really start to create any separation until the third quarter when the Owls started to take charge. Rice shot 64 percent from the floor in the third quarter, effectively turning defense into offense with 10 blocks along the way, the most in a single game for the program since 2018.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

That helped the Owls build their first double-digit lead of the game and it would only grow as the fourth quarter prolonged. A layup from Shelby Hayes, who recorded her second career double-double in this game, put Rice up by 17 as the game clock ticked under six minutes to play. That proved to be not nearly enough time for the Tigers, even though they tried their best to make things interesting.

“We just did everything that coach asked us to do and performed really well.” Hayes said.

The win brings Rice women’s basketball back to .500 in league play and two games above .500 overall.

Final Box | Rice 70, Memphis 59

Key takeaway | Beat bad teams

The Owls’ struggles to close out resume-building opportunities this season has been well documented, but no such resume booster was on the table against a 3-11 Memphis squad on Sunday. Instead, this was the sort of game Rice women’s basketball couldn’t afford to lose, especially give the limited cushion they’d allowed themselves with those other missed chances.

Things looked dicey early on, but the Owls found that extra gear they needed, weathering a series of three pointers that got their opponents back within seven before Rice slammed the door with a run of six late free throws to put the game out of reach.

A lot hasn’t come easy for this program in recent weeks, but getting back in the win column and not having to sweat out another closer-than-expected finish could go a long way to rebuilding confidence lost along the way.

Not every game is going to be against the Memphis’ of the world. But when it is, you need to beat them. So far, so good.

Up Next: at North Texas (Wed, 1/15)

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Rice Football Recruiting: DT Dillan Botts commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class gained some reinforcements in the trenches. Mary Hardin-Baylor transfer defensive lineman Dillan Botts has committed to the Owls.

Following a high school-centric Early Signing Period, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class continues to pick up steam from Transfer Portal additions this winter. The latest hails from the DIII ranks. Sought after Mary Hardin-Baylor defensive tackle Dillan Botts has committed to the Owls.

Botts still racked up seven tackles for a loss and three sacks as a sophomore last season for Mary Hardin-Baylor, a longtime DIII powerhouse. Upon entering the portal he drew offers from the likes of Boise State, Texas State, North Texas and others. After time to consider his options, Botts chose South Main.

“The academic opportunities, degree and resources available at Rice can prepare you for the future,” Botts told The Roost regarding why he was drawn to Rice. “Also, the family atmosphere is unmatched.”

Botts played up and down the line last season but projects as primarily an interior player in the Rice defensive scheme which has historically been willing to take advantage of versatile players later Botts, who told The Roost he prides himself on that versatility and his ability to stop the run.

With Botts in the fold, Rice has quietly stockpiled an array of transfer commitments with the spring semester slated to begin soon. That includes a pair of offensive linemen, two defensive backs, a receiver and a former all AAC kicker.

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Whether one looks back at Botts’ high school film or the limited clips available from his time at Mary Hardin-Baylor, there’s a lot to like. For someone who stands 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, he moves quickly and meets would-be blockers with power. Getting a veteran presence in the defensive trenches was a must this offseason and Botts looks to have all the tools to fill that role.

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Rice Basketball rally comes up short against Temple

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Rice Basketball rallied late to take a one-point lead, but was unable to complete the comeback, falling at home to Temple.

Three consecutive baskets from the visitors put Rice basketball in an early 6-0 hole on Saturday afternoon at Tudor Fieldhouse. That deficit proved to be something that would stick around for the better portion of the contest as the hosting Owls played most of the game from behind.

Andrew Akuchie, who finished with his first career double-double, spurred the first Rice rally. He gave Rice its first lead roughly five minutes into the game, adding an emphatic dunk to steal back some early momentum. But as was the case for most of the afternoon, Temple was quick to answer, ripping off a 15-2 run soon afterward only to see Rice bring the game back to even a few minutes later.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

Down by four at the break, the second half transformed into a much more level affair. Neither side led by double digits at any point with the game still hanging in the balance when the final moments arrived. Rice led by 1 with three minutes to play but would be forced to play catch up down the stretch as Temple made its foul shots to hang on for the win.

Final Box | Temple 73, Rice 70

What They’re Saying

“We were guarding (Temple) pretty good in the second half, but we missed maybe 10 layups right at the rim, over the course of the game. Meanwhile, we were working our tail off to stop (Jamal) Mashburn and (Quante) Berry from three. So, we’ve got to make the layups. We had a size advantage for a big portion of the game. We only turned the ball over 10 times. We have 14 offensive rebounds, and in a three-point game, you can’t miss that many layups.” — Rice Basketball head coach Rob Lanier

Key takeaway | Small Margins

Rice basketball came painfully close from winning this basketball game but finished just a play or two short of pulling out the victory. Head coach Rob Lanier lamented the missed layups, a easily identifiable culprit in a game in which Rice did so many things well.

The Owls had more steals and more assists, shot better from the floor and delivered season best totals for field goals made and second-chance points. The only measure Temple cleared outperformed Rice in was rebounds, edging the hosting Owls by 10 in that category.

This was truly the sort of game where one different bounce or one more made basket could have easily swayed the results. Playing competitive basketball game in and game out is an encouraging step for this program. The next plateau is finding ways to consistently when more of these games than not.

Up Next: vs UTSA (Tues, Jan. 14)

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