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Rice Football Recruiting: DT VJ Bronson commits to Owls

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Reinforcements to the 2025 Rice football recruiting class continue to pour in. North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Gathering depth in the interior of the defensive trenches was a must-do following the conclusion of spring practices. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class found its answer up front in a veteran transfer from within the AAC. Former North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Bronson has taken a long road to get to South Main, beginning his college career at Lamar in 2021 before transferring to Arkansas State for a pair of seasons. He then transferred to North Texas where he redshirted in 2023 before appearing in five games for the Mean Green a season ago.

“I’m someone who’s been through a lot and learned to appreciate every chance to suit up,” Bronson told The Roost. “I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m locked in, ready to work, and I’m coming to Rice to leave it all on the field. Whatever it takes to help this team win.”

After entering the portal, Bronson received offers from Southern Miss, Kent State, UConn and others before shutting down his time in the portal and choosing to commit to Rice.

“It wasn’t just about football,” Bronson said. “It was about being in an environment that would challenge me to grow as a man, and that’s what made the decision clear for me.”

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There’s not a lot to go from as far as recent game film goes for Bronson, but the highlights that are out there show a bigger man (6-foot-3, 320 pounds) that is relatively quick on his feet. Bronson himself pointed toward that aspect of his game as an advantage. “I know how to use my size the right way,” he mentioned. “I try to be someone the team can count on to handle the dirty work and do it right.”

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Rice Football Recruiting: RB LJ Johnson commits to Owls

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The first Rice football recruiting addition of the spring portal window comes from just north of town. SMU running back LJ Johnson has committed to the Owls.

From the moment the spring Transfer Portal window opened, the buzz surrounding Rice football recruiting a veteran running back for the Owls’ run-heavy scheme was everywhere. The Owls brought in several backs, eventually landing on an in-state transfer. Former Texas A&M and SMU running back LJ Johnson has committed to the Owls.

A four-star recruit out of Cy Fair High School in Cypress, TX, Johnson committed to Texas A&M over Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State and the full gamut of big names in the sport. He was used sparingly in two seasons with the Aggies before transferring to SMU where he played a larger role in two seasons with the Mustangs.

Johnson ran for 879 yards on 182 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry over 24 games. He scored nine touchdowns. While Rice and SMU shared the AAC together, he carried the ball 15 times for 73 yards in one game at Rice Stadium against the Owls, also racking up three receptions for 26 yards through the air.

This addition gives the Owls a rather stout running back room, which returns the versatile Quinton Jackson, exciting redshirt freshman Taji Atkins with Daelen Alexander, and a pair of exciting freshmen in the fold. A veteran with big-game experience, Johnson balances out a younger room that has less tread on the tires. At 5-foot-10 and 219 pounds, he’s also the stockiest back on the roster.

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Johnson has been a complimentary piece and performed well, but when given the chance to shine, he’s showcased some impressive athletic traits. He has a decisive first step like seen on the highlight below and has proven himself durable. In a brief stint as the workhorse for SMU in 2023, Johnson carried the ball 56 times for 294 yards, scoring twice in a three-game stint against Rice, North Texas and Memphis.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: F Eternity Eguagie commits to Owls

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A dynamic JUCO hooper is joining the 2025 Rice basketball recruiting class. Forward Eternity Eguagie has committed to the Owls.

Since he arrived at South Main, head coach Rob Lanier has made it abundantly clear he’ll look everywhere for talented playmakers to add to his roster. The most recent addition to the 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class. By way of a Kansas junior college, Canadian native Eternity Eguagie has committed to the Owls.

Eguagie picked Rice over offers from UMass, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Austin Peay and others, bringing his dynamic scoring abilities to Texas after one year at the junior college ranks. He started all 31 games for Colby Community College, averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, pacing his team in most every category while averaging more than 30 minutes per game.

As for why Eguagie picked the Owls, “Rice just felt like home,” he told The Roost. “The coaching staff made me feel valued and I could really see myself growing both as a player and as a person in that environment.”

Rice has had success acquiring talent from outside the D1 level, most recently finding Jacob Dar from Emory and Henry a season ago. The reality, though, was that many of the Owls’ transfer portal additions a year ago came from outside the sport’s marquee brands. The same can be said of this current class.

The 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class also includes players from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (center Stephen Giwa), Prairie View A&M (guard Nick Anderson) as well as Mount St. Mary’s (guard Dallas Hobbs).

More: Rice Basketball 2025 Roster Tracker

Eguagie’s athleticism is intoxicating on film. He was a force at the rim against his JUCO peers, but even if some of that is limited by the step-up in competition, the 6-foot-6 forward possesses enough quickness and versatility that suggests he’ll be able to find additional ways to contribute. He’s a reliable three-point shooter, too.

“Rice fans can expect someone who is going to give their absolute all every time I step on the court,” he said. “As well as a dedicated and hardworking player who is always striving to improve.”

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Dallas Hobbs commits to Owls

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The Transfer Portal remains kind to Rice basketball recruiting efforts. Mount St. Mary’s guard Dallas Hobbs has committed to the Owls.

A high-scoring point guard with NCAA Tournament experience is heading to South Main as the most recent addition to the 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class. Mount St. Mary’s guard Dallas Hobbs has committed to the Owls.

A native of DeSoto, Texas, Hobbs spent his first two seasons of college ball with the Mountaineers, making 11 starts as a true freshman before becoming a full-time starter as a sophomore this past season. He averaged 12.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while knocking down more than 50 three-pointers.

“Coach [Lanier] likes to play fast and lets his guards play with a lot of freedom and that’s what I do,” Hobbs told The Roost. “So it’s a great fit.”

Hobbs helped lead Mount St. Mary’s to the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated American University in a First Four matchup before eventually losing to Final Four participant, Duke. Hobbs scored 17 points in that game, shooting 4-of-8 from three.

Now that Hobbs is in the fold, the 2025 Rice Basketball recruiting class has grown to three portal additions. Also committing this week were Texas A&M-Corpus Christi center Stephen Giwa and Prairie View A&M guard Nick Anderson.

More: Rice Basketball 2025 Roster Tracker

Hobbs is a two-way player with a quick first step. He drives the paint well and can finish at the rim. His highlights showcase a variety of powerful moves to the basket. He should be able to contribute at the point guard position immediately for Rice basketball. At a minimum, he’ll provide another potent scoring option the Owls’ need.

“I’m just at hooper,” Hobbs said. “I do everything. Dribble, pass, shoot, play defense. Whatever it takes.”

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 7: Offensive Takeaways

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The new-look Rice football offense was installed this spring and we learned a lot about what this side of the ball will look like under head coach Scott Abell.

It was mostly encouraging news regarding the Rice football offense as head coach Scott Abell and his staff started installation this spring. In his words, they got “probably 60 percent” of the way toward where they need to be while he’d been hoping for the group to get to 75 percent by the end of the spring.

More: Rice Football Spring Game Takeaways

“The meat and potatoes are in,” he teased, reinforcing the team had gotten the bones of the offense installed. With those pieces in place, it’s time to step back and make an assessment of how this side of the ball is doing and what we learned from it during the spring.

Off to the races

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