The source for Rice sports news
Head Coach: Trent Dilfer
Record at School: 7-17 (2 Yr) | Career FBS Record 7-17 (2 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Alex Mortensen | Defensive Coordinator: Steve Russ
Roster churn has become a part of college sports as we know and Rice football is not immune to the ebb and flow of players coming in and out. The Owls have a higher retention rate than most, but there are still plenty of changes to address. With the 2024 season in the books, this page will serve as a running tracker regarding the roster for the upcoming season as it currently stands.
For reference, Rice football returned 91 players last year, 22 seniors/grads, 25 juniors, 26 sophomores and 18 redshirt freshmen.
Looking for the latest recruiting changes such as offers and new commitments? Subscribers can access the recruiting tracker here. Not a subscriber yet? Join here. Feel free to bookmark it and refer back to it from time to time as players announce their intentions throughout the offseason.
All roster changes are up to date as of Aug 4, 2025.
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.
Rice football looks to stay perfect on the road under Scott Abell with a win at Charlotte. Here’s the latest from the practice field. It’s been a relatively healthy start to the 2025 Rice Football season, but the Owls aren’t immune to injury. There will be some adjustments to the starting lineups this week because […]
Next up for Rice football, conference play against Charlotte. Here’s what head coach Scott Abell had to say about the matchup and a few depth chart notes. Head coach Scott Abell and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped the Prairie View A&M game and looked ahead […]
Rice Football is well represented on 2025 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 2. There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player. Team NFL Owl(s) This Week Result Next Week Washington Commanders Luke […]
Rice football is looking to kick off conference play with a win against Charlotte. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more. Both Rice football and Charlotte played FCS opponents last week and trailed in the first quarter against their respective foes. The Owls caught fire and rolled to a comfortable victory over Prairie […]
An offensive difference maker is joining the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Wide receiver Preston Jackson has committed to the Owls. Concerns that a run-first offense would struggle to find dynamic receiver threats have largely proved overblown, to this point. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class picked up another threat on the outside following an […]
It’s always exciting to begin a new season and the first days of Rice football fall camp had a buzz about them, even with the sweltering Houston heat hanging in the air. The Owls continued their installs on both sides of the ball and got a look at their many new faces who have arrived in the past few weeks.
This update runs through the early standouts and notables with some comments from Abell and early takeaways through the first two days of camp.
A productive summer, which saw the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class grow from a pair of spring commitments to more than a dozen future Owls, got even better this week. On the same day the team returned to the grass to open fall camp, they got good news for the future. Ridge Point High School cornerback Jordan Mitchell has committed to the Owls.
Mitchell hadn’t reported any other offers at the time Rice made its bid for his services, but that didn’t seem to impact the relationship that developed between Mitchell and the Rice staff.
“When Rice first started recruiting me, they made it clear that I was a special player and were looking forward to watching me progress,” Mitchell told The Roost, crediting the leadership of head coach Scott Abell and the earnestness of position coach Jeremy Modkins, who made him feel welcome.
Mitchell’s fit within the scheme sealed the deal. “I know Rice plays a lot of man coverage,” he said, “That’s my specialty, so I know I will be a great fit in their defense.”
Mitchell is the second defensive back committed to the Owls thus far, joining Cy Falls’ corner James Henderson, who made his pledge in mid-June. The rest of the defensive commits to this point will play in front of them, including linebacker Jayden Cupitt and a trio of linemen: Seth Clarke, JD Singletary and Quincy Tchikou.
Mitchell’s athleticism is one of the first thing that jumps out when you turn on the tape. He’s sticky and hard to shake in coverage and moves well in the open field. His added versatility in the return game is a nice bonus that should serve him well at the next level.
The final edition of our Rice Football opponent summer preview series concludes in Charlotte at American Conference Media Days where we sat down with Hunter Bailey of the Charlotte Observer to talk about an eventful offseason for the 49ers program. From a new head coach to a host of new players, we previewed what to expect from this team this coming season.
You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 207.
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