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.
On Thursday, Rice football head coach Scott Abell announced the hiring of defensive line coach Eli Rasheed, completing his 2026 staff. Continuity and development have been hallmarks of how Rice football head coach Scott Abell has built his programs throughout his coaching journey. The expectation was always that those ideas would remain integral to how […]
Further reinforcements to the defensive secondary are on their way to the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class. Corner Rymen Mosley has committed to the Owls. With only a handful of spots remaining in the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class, the Owls have to be choosy when handing out the last few scholarship offers. Most recently, […]
The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class received an influx of talent over the past few weeks. Where do the Owls stand right now and what’s next for this haul? Roughly a month after the 2025 season ended, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is starting to come together. Rice has signees at every level of […]
The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting picked up another pledge from a high school defensive back. Safety Seth Brown Jr. has committed to the Owls. Following a burst of activity in the Transfer Portal, the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class circled back to the high school ranks this week, with several of the program’s most recent […]
After a flurry of transfer pickups, the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class is adding another from the high school ranks. Running back Justin Powell has committed to the Owls. While the Transfer Portal has consumed the bulk of the new faces who have recently joined the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class, it doesn’t represent every […]
A revamped Rice football defense will have plenty of new faces, but the safety room will be more familiar to Owls’ fans than most. A mix of longtime contributors and returning starters, supplemented with key transfers, makes for a fascinating dynamic on the back end of the defense that will be tasked with keeping everything in front of them this season.
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.
** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **
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.”
While Mitchell holds down the back end, 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.