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Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jesus Machado commits to Owls

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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, but there was always going to be room if the right fit arose. The Owls found just that player, and he wasn’t far from campus. Former Houston linebacker Jesus Machado has committed to the Owls.

Machado was a star player for current Houston coach Willie Fritz while both were at Tulane. That was before Machado suffered an ACL injury that caused him to miss the entirety of the 2024 season with the Green Wave. He then followed his former coach to Houston and redshirted in 2025, appearing in four games.

The first linebacker in the fold, Machado is the 12th addition from the Transfer Portal since it opened on January 2 and one of seven additions on the defense, which to this point, has been heavily skewed toward the secondary. Rice hasn’t added anyone on either side of the trenches yet, but that’s something that could change quickly in the days ahead.

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At his best, Machado has already proven himself to be a fringe all-conference caliber player, finishing second-team all-AAC in 2023. Rice football is betting the rangy, ball-hawking linebacker they saw on tape during the 2023 season will be ready to make an appearance, two seasons removed from a serious injury. If it does, this is could be a steal of a signing for the folks on South Main.

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Rice Basketball Comes Up Short vs Charlotte

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Rice Basketball came up one shot short, missing a potential game winner at the buzzer in a narrow home loss to Charlotte.

A layup from Charlotte’s Ben Bradford put the visiting 49ers just ahead of Rice basketball in the opening minutes of their trip to Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. That proved to be representative of how the opening half would go, with Rice spending most of it just a shot or two behind Charlotte, but not much more.

There were five ties and two lead changes in the opening half, with Nick Anderson providing the bulk of the juice on offense for Rice, who would go into the break trailing by just two points. The game would remain close until the middle of the second half when the Owls’ shooting struggles helped contribute to a 10-0 Charlotte run. Rice suddenly found themselves trailing by 15 with the game all but out of reach.

MORE: Rice Basketball Midseason State of the Program

Rice did not go down without a fight, clawing back to within six points on a nine-point run. A late three from Eternity Eguagie got the Owls within two with 36 seconds remaining and Trae Broadnax made it a one point hole with a three-point play.

A heads up defensive play from Broadnax earned the Owls one final shot at the buzzer, but it would not go down. Rice Basketball falls to 7-10 with the loss. The Owls are 5-4 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Charlotte 74, Rice 73

Key takeaway | Defending Not Optional

While there has been no singular thread connecting all of the Owls’ losses this season, the step back in their defensive performance has been a frequent culprit. Now through four games of conference play, Rice ranks near the bottom of the league in opponent field goal percentage, a few ticks shy of 50 percent.

That, combined with a a sub-.400 shooting percentage, makes it hard to win basketball games, something Rice has found out all too often this season. This a team that doesn’t have one defining characteristic to hang their hats on when things get hard, which is quite the departure to the defense-first mantra head coach Rob Lanier preaches.

There are flashes of that top tier defense buried deep. Broadnax had a few plays in the closing minutes that came close to swinging the game, but from top to bottom, this roster doesn’t defend well consistently.

With the calendar approaching mid-January, this is likely what this version of Rice basketball is going to be. How the staff and the roster make the most of it will determine whether or not they can be competitive down the stretch or succumb to their maladies enroute to another disappointing finish.

Up Next: at UTSA (Wed, Jan. 14 at 7:00 pm)

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Rice Football Recruiting: CB Kyren Condoll commits to Owls

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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 find the right fits, including this ACC safety. Former Duke corner Kyren Condoll has committed to the Owls.

Condoll was a three-star recruit out of Rancho Cucamonga High School in California who picked Duke over offers from Stanford, Utah, Washington and others at the time. He spent two seasons with the Blue Devils, appearing in 10 games without registering any official statistics. The West Coast product who spent two seasons on the East Coast is bouncing back to the middle of the country, where he’ll have three years of eligibility when he arrives at South Main.

With Condoll aboard, Rice football now has a strong mix of backgrounds and abilities to deploy in a transformed secondary. He joins fellow corners Zach Cody (Coastal Carolina) and Tariq Watson (UAB) as well as safeties Koa Akui (Sacramento State), Caden VerMaas (Nebraska) and AJ Brown (UAB).

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The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Condoll is a bet on traits combined with two years of development in a collegiate environment. The tape showcases a player who is quick, hits hard and plays with energy. Most importantly, he plays through the whistle and isn’t shy about fighting for the ball in the air.

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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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