The source for Rice sports news

  • Football
    • Recruiting
    • Offer Tracker
    • Roster
    • Schedule
    • NFL Owls
  • Premium
    • Patreon
    • Season Preview
    • Join / FAQ
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Store
    • News
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • About
    • Contact
  • Login

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the 2025 Signees – Defense

February 7, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class includes several hand-picked impact players on defense and special teams. Here’s how those sides of the ball stacks up.

The 2025 Rice football recruiting class began with 12 signees during the Early Signing Period, the first recruiting haul for new head coach Scott Abell. That group has since been supplemented by a wave of transfers and an additional round of high school signees on National Signing Day. Of those players, 22 are current high school seniors, and 13 play on the defensive side of the ball as well as one specialist.

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Abell said upon welcoming his first signees in December. “These are my very first recruits that I have the opportunity to welcome here to Rice. I just can’t imagine anything better.”

When it came time to put a bow on that class in February, Abell remained just as emphatic. “Attracting the right recruits here, the right people [is] imperative. It’s the most important thing we do,” he said while introducing the class. “That means Year 1, the first opportunity to do that, it becomes incredibly important that we get make sure that we get the people part of that right.”

We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of those new people, dissecting how these Owls will help the program on the field.

* Denotes players who enrolled early in January

This article has been temporarily unlocked.

Defensive Line (5) – Rob Rooks*, Braden Bays, Luca Akirtava, Dillan Botts*, DeReyon Jenkins

One of the most athletic members of the class, Rob Rooks was the lone defensive signee in the trenches in December. A former two-way player who was named all-league on both sides of the ball as a junior, Rooks’ focus on South Main will be getting to the quarterback, something he excelled in during his high school career. “He moves well,” Abell said of the 6-foot-1, 261-pound Rooks, “he’s got great size.”

The Rooks’ addition was the tip of the iceberg at a spot head coach Abell was emphatic about getting more bodies. “I think winning football in the trenches is the most important thing,” Abell said. “And we will focus on that year in and year out and that shows up in this recruiting class.”

The Owls picked a pledge from defensive tackle Dillan Botts from Mary Hardin-Baylor in January, adding him to the fold in time for the spring semester. Weeks later they signed Luca Akirtava and Braden Bays, a pair of talented and versatile high school additions who each bring a long list of accolades with them to South Main,

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Bays racked up 60 tackles for a loss in his high school career, finishing with 10 sacks his senior season. Akirtava was the 5-5A District 1 Defensive MVP this past season, racking up seven sacks and 12 quarterback hurries.

In addition to those additions, Rice also signed edge player DeReyon Jenkins, rounding out one of the most extensive National Signing Day hauls for the team at any position. Also a powerlifter in high school, Jenkins brings more than 200 career tackles to South Main.

Defensive lineman Ejike Adele was not formally introduced because he has not officially enrolled, but the former Bushnell Cup winner as the best defensive player in the Ivy League is set to join Rice football after his graduation from Dartmouth this spring.

Linebacker (2) – Ty Thames, CJ Witten

Jon Kay is going to have his work cut out for him in a good way this spring. In addition to being named the defensive coordinator during the offseason and assuming addition responsibilities, he has a linebacker room stacked with talent and flush with new faces.

The Owls will lose a few key leaders at the position to graduation but already have a promising young core in the middle of the field. And that’s before adding Ty Thames and CJ Witten to the room.

Both Thames and Witten have something in common which Abell made sure to call out in his comments during his introductory remarks about the class on Wednesday, both are still playing in their respective high school playoffs.

“As we begin this new era, we want to surround the program with kids who are used to competing at a high level,” Abell said, “Certainly this class speaks to that.”

Witten is the son of former All-Pro tight end Jason Witten, his current coach for Liberty Christian in Westlake, Texas.

Corner (3) – Jerrick Harper*, Omari Porter*, Ahran Ogbor

Abell wasn’t as explicit about the need for reinforcements in the secondary, but Rice brought in more transfers on the back end of the defense than anywhere else this offseason, grabbing from three different areas to supplement rooms that lost a lot of players to graduation and the Transfer Portal.

As far as transfers go, both Omari Porter from Stanford and JUCO signee Jerrick Harper have already enrolled and will participate in spring ball. Porter has experience at safety and corner, giving him a level of versatility that’s always been necessary of players in this defensive scheme. The plan as of now is to play him at corner, a position where he spent most of his time with the Cardinal.

More: Breaking down the Offensive signees in the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class

Unlike Porter, Harper and Ahran Ogbor will have more than one year to make their mark on South Main. Harper was a standout corner at the junior college level whereas Ogbor comes to Rice as one of the most productive two-way players the Owls have signed in some time.

Ogbor was an All-District 6A selection at a quarterback and running back this season in addition to playing defense, where he broke up four passes and was credited with 15 tackles. At 6-foot, 203 pounds he has the requisite frame and speed to excel as an outside corner at the collegiate level once he’s fully transitioned to the defensive side of the ball.

Ogbor’s addition lines up with one of the other key aspects Abell stressed with this signing class: speed.

“When you look at the athletes that we were able to attract here, the common thread is speed,” Abell said. I think it’s important to put players on the field who can run at all levels on both sides and I think we did a great of doing that.”

Safety (3) – Michael Amey III*, Jo Chavez*, Max Lofy*

“Versatile” was the word Abell used to describe Michael Amey III, something Rice fans familiar with the defensive scheme the Owls have run under Brian Smith know all too well. Being able to move around the formation and play multiple different spots is crucial for this scheme and with Smith officially being retained as the Owls’ defensive coordinator, keeping Amey in the fold was a crucial development.

Amey arrives at South Main with 10 interceptions during his high school career. The Owls hope to leverage that propensity toward taking away the football to their advantage in the years to come. He’ll be joined by Jo Chavez and Max Lofy, a pair of Transfer Portal additions who enrolled this semester.

Chavez comes to Rice from the junior college level while Lofy is a fifth-year player from Wisconsin. Lofy was mentioned by name a couple of times in Abell’s introductory remarks about the class, appearing to be someone Abell was particularly excited about getting to campus.

More: Biggest Roster Questions for Rice Football Entering the Spring

As for Chavez, he’s already been listed as a VIPER on the Rice roster, presumably setting him to compete for the backup role behind returning veteran Plae Wyatt at the position.

Altogether, that’s two graduates, two junior college players and two high school additions in the secondary alone. Rice returns two starters there, Max Ahoia and Plae Wyatt, but the odds suggest at least a few of these new faces will have to be heavily involved this season if this defense is going to continue to operate at a high level. This will be a group to watch this spring.

Specialists (1) – Chase Allen (Kicker)*

With Tim Horn departing, Rice football was in search of a kicker to compete with Enoch Gota this coming season. They landed on Alabama and UTSA transfer Chase Allen. While with the Roadrunners, Allen led the AAC in field-goal percentage (13-of-15, 87 percent) and ranked Top 15 in the country during the 2023 season.

Allen was replaced in 2024 after a 4-for-9 start, oddly enough attempting one his final kicks of the season against the Owls at Rice Stadium in October; it was no good.

Getting someone with Allen’s experience who has been extremely productive at the position previously is huge for the Owls who have struggled for several years when it comes to field goal accuracy. Getting him back to his 2023 form would be a huge boost for the Rice special teams.

** This piece has been updated to reflect new signees as of 2/5/2025 **
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: North Texas
  • College Football Returning Production woes in the AAC
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: UTSA
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting, Premium, Reserve Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the 2025 Signees – Offense

February 7, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class includes several hand-picked impact players on offense. Here’s how that side of the ball stacks up.

The 2025 Rice football recruiting class began with 12 signees during the Early Signing Period, the first recruiting haul for new head coach Scott Abell. That group has since been supplemented by a wave of transfers and an additional round of high school signees on National Signing Day. Of those players, 22 are current high school seniors, and 16 play on the offensive side of the ball.

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Abell said upon welcoming his first signees in December. “These are my very first recruits that I have the opportunity to welcome here to Rice. I just can’t imagine anything better.”

When it came time to put a bow on that class in February, Abell remained just as emphatic. “Attracting the right recruits here, the right people [is] imperative. It’s the most important thing we do,” he said while introducing the class. “That means Year 1, the first opportunity to do that, it becomes incredibly important that we get make sure that we get the people part of that right.”

We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of those new people, dissecting how these Owls will help the program on the field.

* Denotes players who enrolled early in January

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
** This piece has been updated to reflect new signees as of 2/5/2025 **
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: North Texas
  • College Football Returning Production woes in the AAC
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: UTSA
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Football Recruiting, Premium Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Texans, Trenches and Speed: Scott Abell introduces 2025 Rice Football Recruiting Class

February 6, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is in the books and head coach Scott Abell couldn’t be more excited about this newest crop of Owls.

Inking the 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class has been top of mind for head coach Scott Abell since he was hired roughly two months ago. Abell is still in the process of moving and only recently got his car to Houston, joking about this nomadic life over the last few weeks that centered around Rice Football and this incoming group of athletes.

“Year one, for everyone, you’re really laying a foundation for what it’s going to look like moving forward and you’re creating the energy behind that,” Abell said. “The most important resource behind all those things are people and the most important people in our program are the athletes. Attracting the right recruits here, the right people [is] imperative. It’s the most important thing we do.”

Abell was formally able to introduce those athletes on Thursday, officially welcoming 10 new signees to bring his 2025 class total to 22 high school players and eight transfers with room for a few more at the conclusion of the spring semester. Those adds get the Owls’ roster near 100 players for spring ball and, Abell hopes, will set his staff and this program up for success.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

In Abell’s eyes, the defining characteristics of this class are three fold. First and foremost, the group includes 17 Texas High School Football players, underscoring Abell’s adamant declaration that starting with local talent from the state’s established programs will be the bedrock for this program.

Then, when it came to descriptors of the types of players in that group, Abell pointed to two things: the trenches and team speed.

“We desperately were in need of adding depth and building for the future up front on both sides,” Abell remarked. “I think winning football in the trenches is the most important thing and we will focus on that year and year out and that shows up in this recruiting class.”

The Owls signed 11 such players: five high school offensive lineman, one transfer offensive linemen, four high school defensive linemen (counting rush end DeReyon Jenkins Jr.) and one transfer on that side. Rice also holds commitments from one more transfer in each group which should arrive in the summer.

As for speed, the phrase “who can really run” was repeated when describing multiple players and position groups. “I think it’s important to put players on the field who can run at all levels on both sides,” Abell said. “I think we did a great job of doing that.”

Spring football is just a few weeks away. Soon enough, Abell and his staff will get to see what these players look like inside the white lines on South Main. Even as much as Abell admittedly adores speed, that day can’t come quickly enough.

Become a Patron!
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: North Texas
  • College Football Returning Production woes in the AAC
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: UTSA
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Scott Abell

Rice Football Recruiting: DL Braden Bays commits to Owls

February 5, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

A National Signing Day addition to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, Boerne defensive lineman Braden Bays has signed with the Owls.

One of the final additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class was a big one, literally. Announced publicly for the first time on National Signing Day, Boerne defensive lineman Braden Bays has committed and signed with the Owls.

Rice beat out a host of interested parties for Bays’ services. At the time of his commitment he’d received offers from the likes of Utah, Washington State, UNLV, Colorado State, Tulsa, UTEP and Central Michigan as several Ivy League schools and the service academies. And how he’s headed to South Main.

Bays joins Luca Akirtava, who committed earlier in the week, and Rob Rooks as the high school representatives in the defensive line room in this class. That trio combined with transfers Dillan Botts (Mary Hardin-Baylor) and Ejike Adele (Dartmouth) makes for a robust group in the trenches for head coach Scott Abell’s first class.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Bays can and has lined up all over the field and has demonstrated and ability to win inside and outside. He’s a pass rusher who moves well rather but packs some power in his punches, too, all of which jumps out quickly when you turn on the film.

Become a Patron!

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: North Texas
  • College Football Returning Production woes in the AAC
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: UTSA
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Filed Under: Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Braden Bays, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

Rice Football Recruiting: 2025 National Signing Day Live Blog

February 4, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class wraps up on National Signing Day. Follow all the action here as the Owls close out the class.

National Signing Day marks the culmination of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. This live tracker will follow all the latest news and updates throughout the day, with further updates on the class as it’s finalized. If you’re not a subscriber yet, here’s your chance.

Become a Patron!

As we did during the Early Signing Period, we’ll have a Live Blog up and running with updates throughout the day. (Not a subscriber? We’ve unlocked this post from a prior cycle to give you a flavor of what to expect — live updates as soon as we get them). Subscribers get access to the full list of Rice offers, commits, signees and more.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Which newcomers are program-changing talents? Who is the diamond in the rough? More to come. For the time being, let’s dig into the latest from National Signing Day, below.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: North Texas
  • College Football Returning Production woes in the AAC
  • 2025 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: UTSA
  • The Roost Podcast | Ep 203 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: North Texas

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting, Premium Tagged With: National Signing Day, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • …
  • 76
  • Next Page »
  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3
  4. Item 4
  5. Item 5
  • 2025 Rice Football Season Preview, Rice Football
  • Jack Ben-Shoshan, Rice Baseball
  • Rice Baseball, David Pierce
  • Rice Football
  • “He’s a Bulldog”: Parker Smith’s Journey to Rice Baseball Ace
Become a patron at Patreon!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter