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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 2: Unpacking the offense, QBs

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Two weeks of 2025 Rice Football spring practices are in the books. Here’s what we’ve learned about the offense and quarterbacks so far.

The new look Rice football offense has taken some getting used to, but the explosiveness with which they play and the vast array of weapons at their disposal has made for an exciting spring so far. Just a few practices into the spring, the scheme is starting to take shape as everyone learns on the go and gets their first live reps on the field.

This update dives deep into that offense, taking stock of the quarterback competition thus far and digging into the details of how plays are called, what the scheme will look like from week to week and more.

A true competition at quarterback

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 1: Spring Intros

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The 2025 Rice Football spring practices are officially underway as head coach Scott Abell and his staff get their first looks at the Owls on the field.

For the first time with head coach Scott Abell at the helm, Rice football hit the practice field. As has been the custom in recent years, the Owls will practice for a week, take a short hiatus for spring break, and then return to finish practices, concluding with the spring game on April 12. That’s a brief window to accomplish a lot.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the weeks ahead, starting now with Abell’s opening comments, some forthcoming tweaks to the defensive scheme, individual standouts early on and much more.

Abell’s expectations

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Rice Football Recruiting: TE Colten Cole commits to Owls

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The first pledge of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on the board. Tight end Colten Cole has committed to the Owls.

The first recruiting cycle for head coach Scott Abell and his staff was a blur, working to retain commitments, add transfers and scout out the right high school additions to the offensive and defensive schemes. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class represents this staff’s first traditional class. Now, the Owls have their first member of that group. Tight end Colten Cole has committed to the Owls.

For Cole, the decision didn’t take long. Rice was the first FBS offer for Cole and he made the decision to commit within days of it being extended. “They made me feel at home right away by getting to know me personally,” Cole told The Roost. “They all have a positive and enthusiastic mindset when it comes to coaching.”

On the field, Cole is particularly intrigued by how Rice uses the tight end position. “Rice uses their tight ends all over the field,” Cole said. “They are in-line some, but flexed out at receiver some as well.”

We’ve heard so much about the varied looks and different ways Abell’s offense will employ to get the upper hand on defenses. Having that excitement translate from the building to the fans to the rest of this next wave of recruiting is equally infectious.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity,” Cole said. “I can’t wait to get down in Owl country!”

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The versatility Cole displays on film sticks out immediately. He has experience lining up in the backfield as well as on the line in a more traditional tight end capacity. He’s a willing blocker who isn’t afraid to drop his shoulder and run through someone. Add in his presence on the defensive line and you get a rather robust player the Owls should be able to utilize to great effect in their highly adaptative scheme.

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2025 Rice Football Schedule Announced

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The 2025 Rice Football schedule was released by the American Conference on Friday, including a full 12-game slate.

Opponents have been known for some time, but now we have dates. All of a sudden the 2025 Rice football season is starting to take shape following an announcement by the conference office on Friday that laid out the full slate of games the Owls will undertake this fall.

The AAC released this statement concurrently with the schedule

The nonconference portion of the schedule features seven games against teams ranked in the top 25 of the final Associated Press poll of 2024, including four games against teams that reached the College Football Playoff.

Teams from The American will play eight nonconference games against opponents from the Sun Belt, seven against the SEC, five against the ACC, four each against the Big 12 and Mountain West, three against the MAC and two each against the Big Ten and Conference USA. American teams will additionally face Notre Dame, Washington State and Oregon State among others.

So, here it is, the 2025 Rice Football schedule:

DateOpponentH/A
Aug. 30, 2025LouisianaAway
Sep. 6, 2025HoustonHome
Sep. 13, 2025PVAMUHome
Sep. 18, 2025Charlotte (Thr)Away
Sep. 27, 2025NavyAway
Oct. 4, 2025Florida AtlanticHome
Oct. 11, 2025UTSAAway
Oct. 18, 2025— OFF — —
Oct. 25, 2025UConnHome
Oct. 31, 2025Memphis (Fri)Home
Nov. 8, 2025UABHome
Nov. 16, 2025— OFF ——
Nov. 22, 2025North TexasHome
Nov. 29, 2024USFAway

Note: There was a misprint in the conference release. The Louisiana game is on the road, not at home.

Full Conference Schedule

Rice Football News

ESPN Bowl Mania Challenge

Enter Now: The Roost’s Bowl Challenge

Posted: December 9, 2025

Rice Football is postseason-bound, and The Roost wants to play along. Join our free Bowl Mania Challenge. We’ll dish out prizes to the top finishers in January. We’re running it back again this year with another edition of The Roost’s Bowl Challenge. Join the pool here, it’s completely free. This year’s winner can expect a […]

Rice Football, NFL Owls

Rice Football 2025: NFL Owls Week 14 Roundup

Posted: December 9, 2025

Rice Football is well represented on 2025 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 14. 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 […]

The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 222 – Rice Football Surprise Bowl!

Posted: December 7, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season isn’t done yet. The Owls are going bowling and have drawn a postseason rematch with Texas State in the Armed Forces Bowl. Good grades have gotten Rice football to the postseason for the second time in four years. The Owls are officially going bowling and will play Texas State in […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting

Rice Football to play Texas State in Armed Forces Bowl

Posted: December 7, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season isn’t done yet. The Owls are heading to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Texas State. For the second time in the past four seasons, good grades will work in the favor of Rice football. Although they finished the regular season 5-7 and one win away from securing bowl eligibility, […]

The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 221 – Rice Football Season Review and Signing Day Recap

Posted: December 6, 2025

As we close the book on the 2025 Rice Football regular season, we review learnings from the year, signing day and what might be next for the program moving forward. Rice football finishes the regular season 5-7 with a big win over UConn and many reasons for optimism. On this week’s show, we talk through […]

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Rice Football New Offense Musings: February 2025 Q&A

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Spring practice is looming and questions abound as to what Rice football will look like once new head coach Scott Abell installs his offense.

Much speculation has been made as to what new Rice football head coach Scott Abell is bringing with him to South Main. For those who haven’t lived and breathed option football, this new venture is going to take some time to fully comprehend. This month’s Q&A addresses the offense, the line and what might be next for the Owls as they work to implement the scheme this spring.

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Q: With the new Coach Abell, will his offense use the Triple option similar to the Navy, Army, and Air Force offenses? Or will he use a version far more sophisticated?

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