The source for Rice sports news
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
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.
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.
Rice football kicks off its first game of the 2025 season this week as the Owls travel to Louisiana. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more. Following months of anticipation, the Scott Abell era of Rice football arrives in earnest this week with the Owls’ season opening matchup against Louisiana. Can the new-look […]
Fall camp is ramping up and the Rice football roster is coming together with a few late risers in the final weeks of camp. The last week of fall camp is in the books and the Rice football team is beginning to turn its attention to its season opener against Louisiana. With a formal depth […]
The 2025 Rice Football season is right around the corner. This week we focus on the defensive side of the ball with key players, schematic tendencies and more. A new coordinator is at the helm of the 2025 Rice Football defense, which returns a good portion of its players from a season ago, although many […]
Next up in our 2025 Rice Football Season Preview: running back. Here’s our breakdown of the Owls’ plans for the group this season. A new offense brings with it a myriad of differing outlooks for key position groups, few of which will enter the upcoming 2025 Rice Football season with as much expectation as the […]
Further reinforcements in the trenches are on the way for the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class. Defensive lineman Ian Harrell has committed to the Owls. Back-to-back defensive line additions has the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class riding high as the Owls keep adding difference makers at premium positions. Even with the fall season fast approaching, […]
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.
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.
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 |
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 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.
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?
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.