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Rice Football Recruiting: DL Brendon Rice commits to Owls

July 5, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class is bulking up in the trenches. Defensive tackle Brendon Rice has committed to the Owls.

The state of Michigan is on the board. Following a recent run of Texas pledges for the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, the Owls headed north to land their most recent addition. North Farmington (MI) defensive tackle Brendon Rice has committed to the Owls.

Rice picked Rice over nearly two dozen offers spanning the primarily the midwest. He had offers from several MAC programs like Bowling Green, Akron, Ball State and Buffalo as well as Marshall, UMass, Harvard and others.

Even with a host of other horses in the race, the Scholars came out ahead for the player who shares their namesake.

“I felt the culture throughout the program, especially the relationships between the guys in the locker room and the coaches,” Rice told The Roost “I feel being from Michigan I could have a new experience as well by seeing new parts of the country while playing great football while also learning and developing even more to help me reach my goal one day of playing on Sundays.”

The tandem of Rice and fellow defensive lineman Rob Rooks, who committed just a few days prior, should form a tremendous duo in the trenches for years to come. Rice’s pledge also gives the Owls 15 commitments as the class has skyrocketed in size. Entering June it had just three members before this recent wave of newcomers made their announcements.

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The highlights paint a fairly convincing case to get Rice in the boat. He’s an interior rusher, but his power is devastating when he’s coming downhill from any angle. He’s strong with a powerful first step and has the physicality to eat up blockers and make plays. In a defense that has had its fair share of big men in the middle, Rice is ready to join the ranks. That mirrors how Rice feels he fits in this scheme.

“I feel my type of game is quickness and strength and power,” he said. “I feel pressing vertical, stunting, sliding is a good fit. I like to move around and that’s how they see me.”

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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Brendon Rice, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

2024 Rice Football Opponent Season Preview: Charlotte

July 5, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

It was a bumpy first year for Biff Poggi and Charlotte last season. What can Rice Football expect from the 49ers in 2024?

Head Coach: Biff Poggi
Record at School: 3-9 (1 Yr) | Career FBS Record 3-9 (4 Yr)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Miller | Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Osborn

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Recent Posts
  • Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: CB James Henderson commits to Owls

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: 2024 Rice Football Season Preview, Rice Football

Rice Football 2024 Roster Tracker

July 5, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

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

The Roost Podcast, Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Conference USA, Rice Basketball

The Roost Podcast | Ep 202 – 2025 Rice Football Opponent Previews: UAB

Posted: June 22, 2025

The 2025 Rice Football season previews march on. This week, we’re joined by Evan Dudley to talk UAB and everything that is the Trent Dilfer experience. The fourth edition of our Rice Football opponent summer preview series is in your podcast feeds. Returning guest Evan Dudley, who’s covered UAB throughout its rise, fall and subsequent […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Tommy Bauchiero

Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls

Posted: June 22, 2025

The first specialist of the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on board. Kicker Tommy Bauchiero from Brentwood Academy (TN) has committed to the Owls. An action-packed weekend on South Main doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off a wave of commitments in recent days, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class continues […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Jai Jacobs-Ford

Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls

Posted: June 21, 2025

Another offensive weapon has joined the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford from Gosnell High School (AR) has committed to the Owls. After a run of defensive additions to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class, the offense got back on board in a big way. Listed as a wide receiver in some places […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Jayden Cupitt

Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls

Posted: June 20, 2025

The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class continues to stockpile talented defenders. Lake Ridge linebacker Jayden Cupitt has committed to the Owls. It’s been quite the week for the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class, with a wave of new additions to the group, including the last three and counting from the defensive ranks. Owls’ defensive coordinator […]

Rice Football, Rice Football Recruiting, Jacob Swain

Rice Football Recruiting: CB James Henderson commits to Owls

Posted: June 19, 2025

The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class didn’t have to go far to add a difference maker in the secondary. Cy Falls corner back James Henderson has committed to the Owls. Even in today’s ever-changing recruiting environment, getting players to campus remains a crucial piece of the process. The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class set itself […]

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Recent Posts
  • Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: CB James Henderson commits to Owls

Filed Under: Football, Premium Tagged With: 2024 Rice Football Season Preview, Rice Football

Rice Football Recruiting: ATH Payton Matthews commits to Owls

July 2, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

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.

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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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Recent Posts
  • Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: CB James Henderson commits to Owls

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Payton Matthews, Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting

AAC Football: Media Outlets release preseason projections

June 30, 2024 By Matthew Bartlett

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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Recent Posts
  • Rice Football Recruiting: K Tommy Bauchiero commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: SLOT Jai Jacobs-Ford commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: LB Jayden Cupitt commits to Owls
  • Rice Football Recruiting: CB James Henderson commits to Owls

Filed Under: AAC, Archive Tagged With: AAC

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