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Rice Football 2024 Roster Tracker

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The Rice football roster is ever-evolving. From the Transfer portal to high school signees, stay tuned here for updates.

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 2023 season in the books, this page will serve as a running tracker regarding the roster for the upcoming season as it currently stands.

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 July 1, 2024.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2024 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. 

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Rice Football News

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Tariq May

Rice Football Recruiting: Edge Tariq May commits to Owls

Posted: January 12, 2026

The first Transfer Portal addition to the defensive trenches in the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting has landed. Former Eastern Washington edge Tariq May has committed to the Owls. The first wave of commitments to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class came at quarterback and defensive back, but the Owls weren’t stopping there. Fortifying the pass […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Jamir Benjamin

Rice Football Recruiting: CB Jamir Benjamin commits to Owls

Posted: January 12, 2026

There’s no doubting the commitment to get the secondary right with the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class. Former UCLA corner Jamir Benjamin has committed to the Owls. The call for corners couldn’t have been clearer as the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class looks to reload in the secondary through the Transfer Portal. Even though they […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Jesus Machado

Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jesus Machado commits to Owls

Posted: January 12, 2026

An intra-city addition to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has locked in his pledge. Former Houston and Tulane linebacker Jesus Machado has committed to the Owls. There were a handful of positions of emphasis for the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class when the Transfer Portal opened in early January. Linebacker wasn’t a key need, […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Kyren Condoll

Rice Football Recruiting: CB Kyren Condoll commits to Owls

Posted: January 10, 2026

The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class picked up a pledge from an ACC defensive back. Former Duke corner Kyren Condoll has committed to the Owls. Rounding out a 2026 Rice Football recruiting class that put a heavy emphasis on rebuilding the defensive backfield, the Owls searched everywhere from the FCS to the Power 4 to […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, AJ Brown

Rice Football Recruiting: SAF AJ Brown commits to Owls

Posted: January 10, 2026

Another American Conference defensive back has joined the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Former UAB safety AJ Brown has committed to the Owls. The Rice Football Recruiting class is benefiting from the stability and upward trajectory of the program as head coach Scott Abell builds the roster entering his second season on South Main. Meanwhile, […]

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Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Payton Matthews commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just landed another difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball. Versatile athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls.

At its core, recruiting is about finding the most talented athletes possible. Once they’re on campus, coaches have to put the pieces together in the most optimal way. The 2025 recruiting class has leaned fully into that philosophy with its latest addition, picking up a pledge for an elite athlete and leaving the exact position he’ll play open-ended. Athlete Payton Matthews has committed to the Owls.

Matthews’ ability to do a lot of different things all over the field is part of what drew him to the Owls’ scheme. “I’ve always floated around from position to position,” Matthews told The Roost. “I think [the Rice coaching staff] can utilize my playmaking abilities all over the field.”

Along the way, Matthews picked Rice over offers from UTSA, Navy, Air Force, Central Michigan and others.

Early indications are he’ll start off in the wide receiver room with the understanding he’s not going to be a stagnant piece in the offense. Matthews indicated his conversations with the staff emphasized that versatility. “I’m supposed to be all over the field which is one of the things I love most,” he said.

The addition of Matthews further bolsters the offensive weaponry of the 2025 class which includes a couple of tight ends, a pair of running backs and multiple receivers, the majority of which have committed in the last two weeks.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Matthews is a lightning bolt on film. His explosiveness and elusive nature make him a home-run threat whenever he gets the football in his hands. How that happens remains to be see, but he’s the type of playmaker you want to get on the field however you can.

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AAC Football: Media Outlets release preseason projections

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Publications have started to release their preseason predictions for the AAC Football order of finish. Memphis is the favorite, where does the rest of the league stack up?

The following is a sampling of where AAC Football teams project to finish in the conference standings according to various different media outlets. The ESPN ranks are projections from Bill Connely. Phil Steele, Lindy’s and Athlon are three of the most prominent preseason magazines that have started to arrive in stores over the past few weeks.

Rank Team ESPN Phil Steele Lindy’s Athlon  Average
1 Memphis 1 2 1 1          1.25
2 UTSA 2 1 4 2          2.25
3 Tulane 3 2 2 4          2.75
4 South Florida 4 4 3 3          3.50
5 Army 6 10 5 5          6.50
6 Rice 7 8 9 6          7.50
7 Florida Atlantic 8 6 10 7          7.75
8 East Carolina 5 5 13 8          7.75
9 North Texas 10 7 8 9          8.50
10 Navy 9 11 6 10          9.00
11 UAB 11 8 7 11          9.25
12 Tulsa 12 12 11 12       11.75
13 Charlotte 13 12 12 13       12.50
14 Temple 14 14 14 14       14.00

The consensus

Memphis is the clear frontrunner to win the AAC Football title this season. Only one publication, Phil Steele, kept the Tigers out of the top spot, dropping them to No. 2.  In fact, all four of these sources view the quartet of Memphis, UTSA, Tulane and South Florida as the clear top four. None of that group are projected to finish lower than fourth with each getting multiple votes to finish in the top three.

On the opposite end, Tulsa, Charlotte and Temple are the projected bottom dwellers. None of these sources project any of that trio to finish outside the bottom three in the league. There are other teams that fall into the bottom third of the rankings on individual lists, but this is the group that can reasonably say “nobody believes in us.”

The wide middle

The rest of the group is squarely in the middle. In fact, there isn’t much of a perceived difference between Army and Navy. Both have at least one ranker projecting them inside the top six and another putting them in the bottom five. Those two, along with East Carolina, represent the programs with the greatest standard deviations in rank. There isn’t a consensus on how good those teams will be.

Rice football could be a sneaky team in the midst of this group. Every team outside the top four has at least one projection putting them in the bottom five except for the Owls. They’re consistently tabbed to finish somewhere between sixth and ninth. An upset here or there and holding serve against some of the weaker teams on their schedule could allow them to break into the upper quarter of the ranks by season’s end.

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2024 Rice Football Season Preview: Safety

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Next up in our 2024 Rice Football Season Preview: safety. Here’s our breakdown of the Owls’ plans for the group this season.

One of the younger rooms on the Rice football roster, the safety position boasts an interesting mix of established veterans and up-and-coming players looking to make a name for themselves. Gabe Taylor is the household name here, but he might not be the only man at this position to make a significant impact on the field this fall. Who else will step up beside him?

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

This piece is part of our 2024 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. 

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The latest with Rice Football Recruiting: June 2024 Q&A

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The past two weeks have been a blur as Rice football recruiting has picked up the pace during official visit weekends. This month’s Q&A digs into the festivities.

Things were relatively quiet on the Rice Football recruiting front until very recently. The Owls entered the month with three commitments. They’re going to leave June with at least a dozen, if not more. Where did this come from? And what can the Owls expect from their recent surge of recruiting wins? We tackle those questions and more in this month’s subscriber Q&A.

Questions were edited briefly for clarity. Want to get your questions answered? Subscribe on Patreon for our monthly mailbag.

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.

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Q: Was this planned? Were all these commits just waiting in secret to announce at the same time?

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