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Rice Football Recruiting: OL Scott Becker commits to Owls

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Another Ivy League product is joining the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class. Former Princeton offensive lineman Scott Becker has committed to the Owls.

The academic connection between South Main and the Ivy Leagues has long since been established, but the football pipeline between the two realms is picking up steam. Already with one Ivy League product in the fold, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting has picked up another pledge from the region. Former Princeton offensive lineman Scott Becker has committed to the Owls.

Becker steadily saw his involvement at Princeton rise, making 16 starts while serving as the team’s primary center in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Briarcliff Manor, NY native will has one year of eligibility remaining and intends to spend it at Rice where he’ll join another offensive line transfer from the Ivies, former Yale center Leo Bluhm.

The tandem of Becker and Blum are the latest in a stead pipeline of Ivy League to Rice transfers. Last season it was offensive lineman Sean Sullivan (Yale) and defensive lineman Ejike Adele (Dartmouth). Before them was defensive lineman Charlie Looes (Dartmouth) and before him, defensive lineman Coleman Coco (Colgate), among others.

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There’s only one ball which means either Becker or Blum (or both) will have to shift from center to somewhere lese on the line at South Main. There’s enough evidence on the film from Becker than he could be adept sliding over to guard, but that’s something that won’t get sorted out until both get on campus. For now, it’s another much-needed veteran addition in the offensive trenches.

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Rice Basketball Rains Threes in Win over UTSA

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Rice Basketball started fast and never slowed down, rolling to a convincing road win over UTSA, courtesy of a blistering performance from deep.

Nick Anderson opened the scoring with a three. Jalen Smith added another. Then Broadnax. Then Smith. The first four field goals Rice basketball knocked down on Wednesday night in San Antonio all came from distance and propelled the Owls to a 12-3 lead, a distance that would linger for quite some time.

After Broadnax broke the three streak with a layup to go up 11, UTSA would be back within double-digits just one more time in the remainder of the first half. Rice led by as many as 19 before the break. The Roadrunners would close the half on a 13-5 run, making it clear the Owls would have to keep up their pace to maintain their lead.

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Keep up, they did. Rice matched every UTSA run of the second half with a volley of their own, never allowing their margin to dip below nine points, a mark the Roadrunners would reach on multiple occasions but never surpass. The Owls knocked down five free throws in the final two minutes, draining the clock before one last triple with 11 seconds to spare.

Rice Basketball improves to 8-10 with the victory. The Owls are 3-6 at Tudor Fieldhouse this season.

Final Box | Rice 89, UTSA 73

Key takeaway | Making it Rain

There are good shooting nights. There are great shooting nights. And then there’s the kind of performance Rice basketball put on display in San Antonio on Wednesday. The Owls seemingly could not missing, knocking down a season-best 16 three pointers.

Rice was equally dangerous from two, missing just nine field goals from inside the three point arc. When you shoot it at that well, even a solid 43.5 percent shooting night from the other side isn’t enough to slow you down.

That level of offensive success isn’t something that can be replicated on a whim, but it is proof of what’s possible. In a season with defensive struggles, the offense rounding into form was necessary, but few could have imagined the ceiling would be quite this high.

Up Next: vs Temple (Wed, Jan. 21 at 7:00 pm)

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Rice Women’s Basketball Dispatches UAB at Home

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Rice women’s basketball took care of business at home, riding a dominant fourth quarter to a win over UAB to maintain a perfect record at home.

It took less than five minutes of action for Rice women’s basketball to make it abundantly clear they were on a different level of the playing field from UAB. The Blazers were winless in conference play when they arrived in Houston and the Owls — the only squad not to drop a conference game thus far — has no intentions of swapping sides of the ledge on Wednesday night.

Rice raced out to an 11-0 lead before UAB could find their footing. The Blazers were able to battle back and make things competitive, closing the gap to a single score on a few occasions, but they were never able to force a tie, let alone threaten to take the lead.

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The Owls took an eight point lead into the fourth quarter and from there the rout began. Rice outscored UAB 24-12 across the final 10 minutes, led by a pair of morale crushing three-pointers from Dominique Ennis. The lead would grow to as many as 21 points before UAB’s final whimper from the free throw line resulted in a 20-point win.

With the victory, Rice women’s basketball improves to 14-3 on the season and remains a perfect 8-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 76, UAB 56

Key takeaway | Finishing with Free Throws

For as good as Rice women’s basketball was on the boards on Wednesday night, their dominance on the free throw line was absolutely crucial in the outcome of this game. Shooting can be fickle and fouls can vary wildly from game to game, but free throws are just that: free. Rice knows that better than just about anyone else.

The Owls entered the game tops in the American Conference in free throw percentage, knocking down 81.3 percent of their attempts on the season. A perfect 12-for-12 evening from the charity stripe against UAB will only raise that number. That’s the kind consistency that pays dividends in March.

Up Next: at North Texas (Sat. Jan. 17 at 2:00 pm)

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Rice Football Recruiting: TE Preston Zinter commits to Owls

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A talented athlete is flipping sides of the ball when he joins the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class. Newfound tight end Preston Zinter has committed to the Owls from Notre Dame.

Finding the most talented players possible remains the marching orders for the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class, even if that means going beyond conventional wisdom. That kind of outside-the-box thinking landed the Owls a potential game changer. Former Notre Dame edge Preston Zinter has committed to the Owls to play tight end.

Zinter was a two-way player at the high school level who was listed as an athlete by most recruiting services despite being much stockier than the traditional mold that fits that designation. He opted to play defense at Notre Dame, appearing in 26 games as a reserve defensive lineman and special teams maven. He blocked a punt in a victory over Florida State in 2024.

The addition of Zinter gives the Owls a nice collection of additions on offense in this current transfer cycle. Since the portal opened, Rice has landed commitments from wide slot receivers Ben Grice (Wake Forest) and Max Mosey (Holy Cross) and offensive lineman Leo Bluhm (Yale) as well as quarterbacks Jacurri Brown (UCF) and Gael Ochoa (UNLV).

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Zinter’s immediate experience doesn’t come on offense, at least not at the collegiate level, but Rice took one look at his high school tape and fell in love with the mismatch he presented on that side of the ball. He’s being recruited exclusively for that skillset and will play offense on South Main. And, if the film is any indication, will be a productive piece for the Owls to rely upon in short order.

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Max Mosey commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class made sure to save a spot for this do-it-all playmaker. Former Holy Cross receiver Max Mosey has committed to the Owls.

Head coach Scott Abell knows better than most the importance of adding athletes whenever possible and the 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class took that reality to heart, signing one of the most versatile Transfer Portal targets available, Holy Cross receiver Max Mosey has committed to the Owls.

Mosey describes himself in his highlight cutups as a “WR/PR/RB/QB”. Regardless of where he lines up, he has a knack for finding the football and getting it into the endzone. Over the past two seasons, Mosey has 1,205 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, including two special teams scores on punt returns. That’s the kind of player you bring into your program, defined position or not.

With a heavy focus on the secondary and quarterback, Mosey now makes up a sizable chunk of the skill additions the Owls have made in the portal. He joins Wake Forest receiver Ben Grice as the only other pass catchers in the fold to this point. There aren’t a ton of days left for players to enter the portal, but don’t be surprised if Rice adds one more offensive tool to the fold in the days ahead.

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As for Mosey, the film speaks for itself. He’s not a burner by any means, but he’s quick and consistently finds ways to get open at all levels of the field. For a team in need of proven pass-catching options, Mosey could become a useful piece for incoming quarterback Jacurri Brown.

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