Braden Bays Archives

Next up in our 2025 Rice Football Season Preview: defensive line. Here’s our breakdown of the Owls’ plans for the group this season.

There’s a new coordinator at the helm of the Rice Football defense and a mix of new and old faces who will be asked to step into significant roles this coming season. Even with the changes, getting to the passer and creating havoc in the run game will be the marching orders for a front that believes it has enough depth to make a difference.

Rice Football Preseason Preview: Check out the rest of the series here.

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** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **

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A National Signing Day addition to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, Boerne defensive lineman Braden Bays has signed with the Owls.

One of the final additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class was a big one, literally. Announced publicly for the first time on National Signing Day, Boerne defensive lineman Braden Bays has committed and signed with the Owls.

Rice beat out a host of interested parties for Bays’ services. At the time of his commitment he’d received offers from the likes of Utah, Washington State, UNLV, Colorado State, Tulsa, UTEP and Central Michigan as several Ivy League schools and the service academies. And how he’s headed to South Main.

Bays joins Luca Akirtava, who committed earlier in the week, and Rob Rooks as the high school representatives in the defensive line room in this class. That trio combined with transfers Dillan Botts (Mary Hardin-Baylor) and Ejike Adele (Dartmouth) makes for a robust group in the trenches for head coach Scott Abell’s first class.

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The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Bays can and has lined up all over the field and has demonstrated and ability to win inside and outside. He’s a pass rusher who moves well rather but packs some power in his punches, too, all of which jumps out quickly when you turn on the film.

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