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Rice Football Recruiting: SAF AJ Brown commits to Owls

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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, turnover elsewhere has created opportunities for the Owls, including elsewhere in the American Conference. Former UAB safety AJ Brown has committed to the Owls.

Brown has 36 games of college football under his belt. He began, as many players do, as a special teams staple with the Blazers in 2023, increasing his role to a rotational defensive back in 2024 and eventually a six-game starter, ending his time with the Blazers as a mainstay in the starting line.

Last season, Brown had five games with seven or more tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also brings 91 career tackles, a sack and an interception to Rice.

In addition to a wave of new defensive back additions in this cycle, Brown will also sync up with his teammate Tariq Watson, who started alongside him with the Blazers in 2025. Safeties Koa Akui (Sacramento State) and Caden VerMaas (Nebraska), as well as corners Kyren Condoll (Duke) and Zach Cody (Coastal Carolina) round out the parliament of new Owls in the secondary.

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The Transfer Portal contains every level of experience, athletic pedigree and statistical history. In many ways, Brown is the intersection of all of those key attributes. He has some exciting highlights and plenty of history that suggest he can step in and contribute immediately for the Rice secondary, making his a crucial pickup in this transfer cycle.

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Rice Football Recruiting: SAF Koa Akui commits to Owls

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One of the best safeties from the FCS ranks has joined the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Sacramento State safety Koa Akui has committed to the Owls.

The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class includes Transfer Portal additions from all over FBS, but the Owls didn’t stop there, turning over every rock to maximize roster talent, including this crucial addition from the FCS ranks. Former Sacramento State safety Koa Akui has committed to the Owls.

Akui is about as decorated as they come in terms of transfer portal additions. An All-Big Sky selection in 2025, Akui has 20 games of collegiate experience under his belt, including starts in all 12 contests last season. A Pro Football Network FCS All-American, Akui tied for fifth in the nation in passes defended (11) and tied for second in interceptions (five). The nation’s leader, with six, played 16 games. Akui did it in 12.

The inclusion of Akui cements a robust rework of the Rice safety room, including new portal additions AJ Brown (UAB) and Caden VerMaas (Nebraska). The Owls also picked up corners Kyren Condoll (Duke), Tariq Watson (UAB) and Zach Cody (Coastal Carolina).

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Tape is harder to come by at the FCS level, but the sheer volume of turnover forcing plays Akui is involved in is staggering. For a Rice defense that hasn’t been particularly adept at creating that level of chaos in recent years, bringing in a true ballhawk on the backend like Akui has the potential to deliver a transformative effect to the Owls’ entire secondary.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 223 – Rice Football Quarterback Shuffle

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It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Rice Football on the quarterback front. Chase Jenkins is out. Jacurri Brown is in. We discuss it all, plus a bowl game and more.

The news that Chase Jenkins would be transferring from Rice football before the bowl game sent shockwaves through the program, but the Owls are looking better than ever with the addition of UCF transfer Jacurri Brown. The long chain of events that got us from Jenkins to Brown, kudos to the staff for securing his pledge and more on the bowl game, transfers and the program right now.

We talked through it all. You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 223.

Episode Notes

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Rice Football Quarterback Shuffle

  • Chase Jenkins opt out and potential options
  • How that impacted the bowl game and key takeaways
  • An ode to Quinton Jackson
  • What kind of quarterback should/would Rice target in the portal?
  • Jacurri Brown profile and the Gus Malzahn/Dan Mullen goodness
  • Three more additions in the portal, and counting

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s College Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner. If it’s happening in college football in Texas, we’re talking about it. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Slot Ben Grice commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has its first new skill position add from the Transfer Portal. Former Wake Forest receiver Ben Grice has committed to the Owls.

Finding the right pieces to plug into the offense was a top priority for the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class, which already had a wave of incoming high school additions locked in before the Transfer Portal opened. That allowed the Owls to be a bit choosey and make sure they grabbed the right pieces, like this one. Former Wake Forest wide receiver Ben Grice has committed to the Owls.

Grice was a coveted three star recruit out of Atlanta, Georgia in the 2024 cycle, holding offers from Texas A&M, Michigan, Ole Miss and dozens of others before picking Wake Forest. Grice played in every game as a true freshman and was heavily involved on special teams. He redshirted during the 2025 season before entering the portal and heading to South Main.

With Grice on board, the Owls are starting to assemble a nice array of options for transfer quarterback Jacurri Brown (UCF) to work with next fall. Grice joins fellow slot/receiver adds Jai Jacobs-Ford and Fisher Leftwich, both high school recruits who signed with the Owls during the Early Signing Period. Given where the roster stands right now, they should still have space to add in those rooms.

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A wide receiver by trade, Grice probably moves into a more creative role at Rice, likely as a slot player in head coach Scott Abell’s offense that prizes versatility. Wherever he lands, though, his quick twitch and rapid acceleration that he showcases on tape should make an impact on the Owls’ offense in quick order.

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Rice Football Recruiting: SAF Caden VerMaas commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is still making waves in the Transfer Portal. Former Nebraska safety Caden VerMaas has committed to the Owls.

Already in good position with multiple defensive back commits out of the Transfer Portal, the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class continued to stockpile in one of their largest areas of need. Roughly halfway through this portal cycle, Rice added another defensive back to the fold. Former Nebraska safety Caden VerMaas has committed to the Owls.

VerMaas is a Omaha, Nebraska native who stuck with the Huskers right out of high school. He redshirted in his lone year on campus with the Huskers in 2025, appearing in two games against Akron and Houston Christian.

VerMaas joins Coastal Carolina’s Zach Cody and UAB’s Tariq Watson as the three defensive back additions. While Watson has one year of eligibility remaining, Watson and VerMaas both have three years of college football still to play. The Owls have reloaded at key spots in the secondary with potential multi-year solutions to bolster depth beyond 2026.

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A former two-way player at the high school level, VerMaas was an explosive running back in addition to the successes he had on the defensive side of the ball. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, the now full-time defensive back still showcases his quickness and burst in the open field, even considering most of the tape is still from his high school days.

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