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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Colin Leahey commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just added an offensive weapon from their own back yard. Athlete Colin Leahey has committed to the Owls.

The furious run of impactful high school additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class hasn’t slowed down yet. Days removed from a productive official visit weekend with several new pledges, Rice has added another piece. Versatile offensive playmaker Colin Leahey has committed to the Owls.

At the time of his commitment, Leahey held offers from Air Force, Army and a host of Ivy League programs. He’s one of several new additions in the recent days which have opted for South Main over the likes of the academies and peer academic institutions.

“I love the family atmosphere that Coach Abell and his staff want to bring to the program,” Leahey told The Roost. “Coach Abell and his staff’s knowledge of the game is apparent in the success they’ve had over the years.”

Rice signed a pair of running backs in the early cycle, North Shore’s D’Andre Hardeman and Lake Creek’s Tyvonn Byars. Adding Leahey to the mix, to complement an already strong room, will give Abell plenty of options to tote the rock in his first season on South Main.

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On the field, Leahey profiles as a running back, but he’s versatile enough to split out wide and be used as a receiver as well. The ability to potentially contribute at both spots was part of what made the Owls’ offensive scheme so appealing. He can do so many things with the ball in his hands, something that jumps out immediately when you turn on the film. Regardless of where he lines up, this profiles as a great add for the Owls.

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Early lead fizzles as Rice Basketball falls to USF

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Early lead not enough as Rice Basketball dropped their sixth straight in AAC play, falling to South Florida on the road.

Rice basketball got off to a red-hot start on the road against South Florida, jumping out to an 11-3 lead before the Bulls could settle in. That lead would be short lived — USF rallied to tie the game at 11 shortly thereafter — but the aggressiveness Rice played with led to another big advantage, this time as many as 14 points as the final minutes began to tick away in the first half.

USF would not go away. The home team closed the first half on a 7-0 run and scored 14 of the first 16 points after halftime. All of a sudden it was Rice forced to play from behind. Trae Broadnax rose to the occasion, scoring six of the Owls’ next nine, willing the game into a slugfest, at least for a while.

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

Rice would get back within a point, but South Florida did not slow down. That small edge gradually grew as the game wore on with the Bulls banking multiple buckets in a row before Rice got a shot to fall. By the time the teams hit the final media timeout, USF led by double-digits and the Owls’ early lead felt like it had been so long ago.

A furious push in the final minutes allowed Rice to get the game back within three, but the rally would prove to be too little, too late as South Florida held on to win. Rice falls to 11-10 with the loss and 2-6 in conference play.

Final Box | USF 69, Rice 64

Key takeaway | Defensive dip

Rice basketball has now lost six AAC games in a row after a 2-0 start in league play. So many of these games have been decided on the margins, but if there is one throughline amongst them all it’s been an dip in defensive performance.

It’s not as if Rice has been a poor defensive team — entering Wednesday the Owls ranked second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage allowed — but the difference in their losing skid has been pronounced.

In their first 15 games, including AAC wins over Tulsa and Charlotte, Rice allowed opponents to shoot 38.5 percent from the floor. In their last six that rate has jumped up to 45.8 percent including a 40 percent shooting performance from USF.

This has still been a formidable defensive unit on most possessions, but ebbs and flows with the offense, turnovers and smaller losses on the margins have put this team into too many tough places. An 0-6 run is the result.

Up Next: vs Memphis (Sun, Feb. 2)

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Rice Football Recruiting: LB DeReyon Jenkins commits to Owls

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An enforcer off the edge is the newest member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Linebacker DeReyon Jenkins has committed to the Owls.

To this point, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class was rather light on edge players, making finding the right high school pass rushers a priority before National Signing Day. The Owls did just that with this most recent addition, landing a commitment from outside linebacker DeReyon Jenkins.

Jenkins picked up an offer from UCF last year in addition to a handful of FCS programs before opting to stick with Rice Football his senior season. The Owls’ staff and scheme played a significant role in that decision.

“I really love the defensive scheme,” Jenkins told The Roost. “The offense never knows what they do because they line up in different formations and that can really throw off the offense.”

Jenkins also went on to praise Abell individually, calling the Owls’ new head coach “an amazing person to be around” and someone who is “setting a standard in the program.”

A candidate for the rush end spot when he arrives on campus, Jenkins is the second high school pledge in the class from the defensive line, joining St. Vincent de Paul defensive lineman Rob Rooks.

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Jenkins flashes the exact traits you want in a pass rusher on film. He gets to the quarterback, fast and this scheme has a proven track record of finding ways to maximize that kind of ability. He’ll fit in well on South Main.

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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Ahran Ogbor commits to Owls

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A versatile playmaker has joined the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Athlete Ahran Ogbor has committed to the Owls.

At this point in the calendar, adding explosive athletes is always a priority, regardless of where they’ll line up on the field. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class added one such potential playmaker following a busy weekend of visits to wrap up January. Spring high school athlete Ahran Ogbor has committed to the Owls.

Ogbor had previously been committed to Yale before opening himself to the Owls’ advances in recent days. Along the way he’d also picked up offers from the likes of Texas Tech, UTSA, North Texas, SDSU, UNLV, Army, Navy, Tulsa and others. A lot of programs wanted Ogbor to be a part of their class. He picked Rice.

On the field, Ogbor did a little bit of everything at the high school level. The plan, as of now, is for him to start with the defense when he arrives on South Main. Ogbor profiles well as defensive back with the speed and quickness to slide into the slot and cover.

Landing Ogbor was a significant development for the 2025 class, which only had one other high school defensive back pledge (safety Michael Amey III) at the time, relying so far on several transfer additions this winter.

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No matter where he’s lined up, Ogbor stands out on film. He’s dynamic and quick, dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands and twitchy when it comes to finding ways to find the football wherever it might be. He’s as versatile as it comes and a great add to this class.

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Jordan Clark commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting picked up another offensive weapon. Wide receiver Jordan Clark has committed to the Owls.

Following a run of Transfer Portal additions in the winter, the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has hit the high school ranks in earnest this weekend with National Signing Day fast approaching. The Owls picked up three new pledges in the span of two days, including a new playmaker on offense. Wide receiver Jordan Clark has committed to the Owls.

Clark’s decision to come to South Main stemmed from what he described as an impactful official visit. “At most official visits, the head coach is the last coach you meet,” Clark told The Roost. “However, Coach Abell was the first coach I met on the official visit, so my first impression of Rice football came from him. From the introduction to the farewell, his message was consistent.”

Rice beat out offers from Air Force, Navy and FCS powerhouse Montana State, among others to land Clark’s pledge. He will be the third scholarship receiver from the high school ranks in the class, a new wave of young talent poised to impact the field for the Owls in the years ahead.

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The skill set revealed on film fits the Owls’ new offense well. “They really love to get their playmakers the ball in space,” Clark said. “And with my abilities, that’s where I thrive the most, yards after catch!” Explosive plays are going to play a significant role in making Abell’s offense effective. Clark has the talent to provide those in droves.

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