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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

Rice football, practice notes

Rice Football Hires Eli Rasheed as Defensive Line Coach

Posted: January 29, 2026

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 […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Rymen Mosley

Rice Football Recruiting: CB Rymen Mosley commits to Owls

Posted: January 28, 2026

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, […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football

Late-January 2026 Rice Football Recruiting Check-In

Posted: January 27, 2026

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 […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Seth Brown

Rice Football Recruiting: SAF Seth Brown Jr. commits to Owls

Posted: January 26, 2026

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 […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Justin Powell

Rice Football Recruiting: RB Justin Powell commits to Owls

Posted: January 26, 2026

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 […]

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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.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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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