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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO SAF Dylan Stephens commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class picked up some much-needed reinforcements in the secondary. JUCO safety Dylan Stephens has committed to the Owls.

Adding depth to the defensive backfield was a must for the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Entering the late fall with some attrition at those positions, the Owls swooped into the JUCO ranks to get another potential playmaker. Safety Dylan Stephens has committed to the Owls.

Stephens had offers from Army, Navy, Yale and a handful of local FCS programs coming out of high school before going the junior college route. After one season at Trinity Valley Junior College, he resurfaced and took aim at a D1 opportunity. Rice proved to be the perfect fit.

He joins fellow defensive back Jordan Mitchell as the anchors in the secondary for the 2026 class so far. He’s also the second JUCO commit in the group, with fellow JUCO product Brock Reddic offering support in the defensive trenches.

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Most of the tape from on Stephens comes from his high school days at Berkner High School in Richardson, TX, just a season removed from where he is today. He’s lanky with a quick twitch and has the ability to run. Those are good traits to bet on for a defensive back that will arrive on campus with some collegiate snaps already under his belt.

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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO DL Brock Reddic commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class just added some in the trenches. JUCO defensive lineman Brock Reddic has committed to the Owls.

The first transfer addition to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on the board. Following an initial build from the high school ranks, the Owls have nabbed a key player from the junior college ranks. Kilgore defensive tackle Brock Reddic has committed to the Owls.

Reddic originally signed with Northwestern State out of high school, playing sparingly before transferring to Kilgore Junior College last year. A strong season there earned him offers from programs like Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Monroe, PVAMU, McNeese State, Central Arkansas, and others. The Owls were the most recent to formally show interest and Reddic pulled the trigger soon after the offer came in.

“I could tell what coach Abell is building is special and will last for the long run,” Reddic told The Roost. “Getting a degree at Rice is generational, and getting to play high-level ball while getting that degree, I couldn’t ask for a better combo.”

The fourth defensive lineman in the class, Reddic should bring some experience to accompany high school commits Ian Harrell, Tyler Lavallier and Quincy Tchikou. In total, the class is up to 19 players with the early signing period right around the corner, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 3.

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Reddic’s highlights are intriguing. The 6-foot-4, 315 pound interior player has a couple moves already in his tool bag and shows good pursuit to the ball. Rice needs reinforcements in the trenches and Reddic looks to have the potential to slide in and contribute quickly.

“I’ll fit into that nose position to be a menacing presence in the middle of the defense,” Reddic said.”

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Rice Volleyball Earns 7-Seed opens vs Florida in NCAA Tournament

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Officially NCAA Tournament bound, Rice women’s volleyball heard their name called in the NCAA Volleyball selection show on Sunday night.

Rice Volleyball (21-9) continues its impressive season with a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls earned a No. 7 Seed on Selection Sunday. They will head to Dallas, Texas to play Florida on Friday, Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m. CT. Should they win, they’d play the winner of a matchup between 2-Seed SMU and Central Arkansas on Saturday.

American Conference regular season Champions, Rice won 17 consecutive games before falling to Tulsa in the American Conference Tournament Championship. Taylor Preston and Arissa Smith were named to the American All-Tournament team in recognition of their stellar performances.

This will be the Owls’ ninth NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Genny Volpe and their first since 2022.

The Owls’ regional looks like this:

Should Rice volleyball advance out of Dallas, they’d face the winner of the quartet including 3-Seed Purdue, Wright State, 6-Seed Baylor and Arkansas State. First things first, Rice will focus their attention on Florida.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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American Conference Football 2025: Week 14 Roundup

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American Conference Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

TeamRecord This WeekResultUp Next
Army6-5 (4-4)at UTSAW, 27-24vs Navy (Dec. 13)
Charlotte1-11 (0-8)at TulaneL, 27-0—
ECU8-4 (6-2)at FAUW, 42-3Bowl TBD
FAU4-8 (3-5)vs ECUL, 42-3—
Memphis8-4 (4-4)vs Navy (THR)L, 28-17Bowl TBD
Navy9-2 (7-1)at Memphis (THR)W, 28-17vs Army (Dec. 13)
North Texas11-1 (7-1)vs Temple (FRI)W, 52-25at Tulane
Rice5-7 (2-6)at USFL, 52-3—
Temple5-7 (3-5)at North Texas (FRI)L, 52-25—
Tulane10-2 (7-1)vs CharlotteW, 27-0vs North Texas
Tulsa4-8 (1-7)at UABL, 31-24—
UAB4-8 (2-6)vs TulsaW, 31-24—
USF9-3 (6-2)vs RiceW, 52-3Bowl TBD
UTSA6-6 (4-4)vs ArmyL, 27-24Bowl TBD

Storylines // Standings // Preseason Poll

Memphis Tumbles

Few teams in the American Conference will be more disappointed in their 2025 season than the Memphis Tigers. Big spenders on the NIL front and player investment, head coach Ryan Silverfield was armed with one of the more talented rosters in the conference and finished with four losses. The Tigers weren’t even close to making an appearance in the conference championship when they lost to Navy on Thanksgiving.

Optimistic Owls

Both Rice and Temple made coaching changes this offseason and were expected to take at least a season or two before as they built with their new leaders. Instead, both teams entered the final weekend of the regular season in contention for a bowl appearance. Both teams fell short, but there’s plenty of hope in Philadelphia and Houston this offseason after seeing what their programs achieved in year one.

Oh-For-Charlotte

The topside of the American was extremely contentious, but even the teams at the bottom of the standings had their moments in the sun — except for Charlotte. The 49ers underwhelmed on admittedly low preseason expectations, going winless in league play and posting their lone victory over FCS Monmouth by one score.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Conference Championship Game Set

With both teams winning this weekend the conference championship game is set, Tulane will host North Texas in the American Conference Championship Game. Navy, which also finished 7-1 in league play, misses out on a title game appearance via tiebreaker.

CFB Playoff

It’s not a lock by any stretch, but the assumption for much of the season has been that the American Conference champion would represent the Group of 5 in the College Football Playoff. Tulane led the race last week and would presumably retain their spot should they beat North Texas. If not, a 12-1 North Texas team would still be the likely favorite to get the spot over potential Sun Belt Champion, James Madison.

Army, Navy and The American

There’s one more game beyond the conference championship which will feature a pair of American conference teams: Army vs. Navy, slated for its usual solo weekend two weeks from now. The college football classic doesn’t count in the conference standings and will be played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Dec. 13 at 2:00 PM.

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Rice Women’s Basketball Drops Nailbiter to UCF

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Rice women’s basketball dropped a nailbiter to UCF in the Owls’ final game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. closing out the week 2-1.

The final Rice women’s basketball game at the Puerto Rico Shootout went down to the wire with the resilient Owls trailing for a large portion of the contest, but never backing allowing themselves to fall out of striking distance.

Aniah Alexis led all scorers with nine first-half points, keeping the margin close. She sank four free throws in the middle of the second quarter to cull a nine-point deficit and get the Owls back within four points at halftime.

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That basket or two deficit stretched into the fourth quarter before Rice mounted a final offensive. A three from Dominque Ennis and subsequent jumper from Victoria Flores gave the Owls their first lead since the early moments of the second quarter. Knights’ guard Leah Harmon would answer with seven straight points of her own, surviving a late three from Shelby Hayes to edge the Owls by one.

Rice women’s basketball falls to 5-3 on the season and 3-3 away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | UCF 57, Rice 56

Key takeaway | We Have a Hayes

The emergence of Shelby Hayes in Puerto Rico was by far the most significant happening for Rice women’s basketball this week. The Owls have needed another key piece to rely on given their offseason attrition. Hayes came through in a big way in the comeback against Illinois State and Friday’s battle with UCF.

Hayes has scored in double figures in five of her last six games, the lone exception being the Morgan State blowout where her services weren’t required because of the lopsided score and she only played 17 minutes. She’s become a versatile, go-to piece in the offense that should continue to pay dividends for the Owls as the season progresses.

Up Next: vs Sam Houston (Wed. Dec. 3 at 5:30 pm)

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