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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, Rice Football Recruiting, David Kasemervisz

Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls

Posted: May 6, 2025

A Texas product is returning home as a member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Stanford wideout David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls. The recent run of pledges to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, serving as the final additions to the roster before the season arrives this fall, maintained its momentum […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Artis Cole

Rice Football Recruiting: WR Artis Cole commits to Owls

Posted: May 4, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just picked up more offensive reinforcements. Former Louisiana-Monroe wideout Artis Cole has committed to the Owls. The spring additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class have come from near and far with several new faces taking multiple stops along their college football journey before arriving on South Main. […]

Rice Football Recruiting, Rice Football

Rice Football Recruiting: Khary Crump’s path to the Owls

Posted: May 2, 2025

The most recent addition to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, corner Khary Crump has taken an eventful journey to South Main. Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more. Recent Posts Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls Hickson gem propels Rice Baseball to series win over […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Khary Crump

Rice Football Recruiting: CB Khary Crump commits to Owls

Posted: May 2, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class fills a significant need in the secondary with this latest addition. Houston Christian corner Khary Crump has committed to the Owls. A swathe of graduations and injuries made it abundantly clear that the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class would need help in the secondary this spring, most specifically at […]

Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 8: Defensive Takeaways

Posted: April 30, 2025

Now led by defensive coordinator Jon Kay, the Rice football defense made strides this spring. Here are a few things that stood out the most. The Rice football defense lost a lot of leaders to graduation this offseason. Having a familiar face in Jon Kay take over as the coordinator helps, but there was still […]

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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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The Roost Podcast | Ep 196 – Rice Football Signing Day and Winter Recap

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A lot has transpired on South Main the past several weeks. Here’s our take on National Signing Day, the Rice Football coaching staff and more.

A lot has happened since we handed out The Roosties, our annual Rice Football postseason awards. From National Signing Day to a brand new coaching staff, here’s the latest on the Owls and a few thoughts on what could be next around South Main.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 196.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

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Rice Football News and National Signing Day Recap

  • Head coach Scott Abell finalizes coaching staff
  • JUCO waiver news and the departure of Dean Connors
  • Takeaways from 2025 Rice Football Signing Class
  • The State of the Quarterback Room
  • Positions of need?
  • How do we evaluate this class?

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.



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