The source for Rice sports news

  • Football
    • Recruiting
    • Offer Tracker
    • Roster
    • Schedule
    • NFL Owls
  • Premium
    • Patreon
    • Season Preview
    • Join / FAQ
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Store
    • News
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • About
    • Contact
  • Login

Rice Football 2025: Louisiana Game Week Practice Notes

August 28, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The first Rice football game of the Scott Abell era is upon us and the Owls are ready to go. Here’s the latest from the practice field this week.

The (unofficial) Rice football depth chart has mostly worked itself out. Chase Jenkins has started to put his mark on the offense and a few individual standouts have warranted notice in the last few days before the season opener.

Jenkins insists this team is ready to go and is as locked in as they could be before such an important game.

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

“It’s us versus anybody else,” he said this week. “I feel like we go to each game, home or away, wherever we play — we could play in a parking lot — we’re going to go out there with the same mindset each time and go out there and play our best and play our game and then the result will show.”

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today.

 THIS WEEK ONLY: Get ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ง๐™š๐™š ๐™ข๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™๐™จ ๐™›๐™ง๐™š๐™š when you purchase an annual subscription of The Roost with the code ๐—–๐—™๐—•๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ. Pay for the rest of the year, but get Rice Football season on us. Expires Saturday.  Become a Patron!

This update provides some more insight into Jenkins’ evolution in the offense, who will fill out the depth chart behind him and a few more notes as the team prepares for the first game of the season in a few days time.

Chase Jenkins is ready to roll

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jaxson Thompson commits to Owls
  • Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: Houston
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 1 Roundup
  • Rice Football knocks off Louisiana in Scott Abell’s Debut

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Aaron Turner, Ahran Ogbor, AJ Padgett, Alex Bacchetta, Andrew Awe, Aquantis Clemmons, Artis Cole, Blaise Tita, Blake Boenisch, Braylen Walker, Carson Morgan, Chase Allen, Chase Jenkins, Chibby Nwajuaku, Chris Clark, Cooper King, Cullen Witt, D'Andre Hardeman, Daelen Alexander, Daveon Hook, David Kasemervisz, David Stickle, DeMone Green, Dillan Botts, Drayden Dickmann, Drew Devillier, Ejike Adele, Elroyal Morris, Enoch Gota, Ephraim Dotson, Jack Kane, James Falk, Jerrick Harper, Jo Chavez, John Long, Joseph Mutombo, Khary Crump, Landon Ransom, Lucas Scheerhorn, Luke Miller, Luke Needham, Marcus Williams, Max Balthazar, Micah Barnett, Michael Daley, Nate Bledsoe, Netane Fehoko, Omari Porter, Owen Carter, Patrick Crayton, Patrick Valent, Payton Matthews, Peyton Stevenson, Plae Wyatt, practice notes, Quinton Jackson, Rice Football, Ryan Butler, Sam Carrell, Sean Sullivan, Ty Morris, Tyson Thompson, Tyvonn Byars, Weston Kropp, wyatt freeman

Rice Football 2025 Fall Camp Notebook: Depth Chart Risers

August 23, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

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 chart looming, here is a final look at a few players who have solidified key roles for this team in the last few weeks.

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

This update digs into a couple of key summer transfer additions, some answers on the special teams front and a few comments on the development of the wide receiver room.

Two key transfers make their bids for starting roles

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jaxson Thompson commits to Owls
  • Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: Houston
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 1 Roundup
  • Rice Football knocks off Louisiana in Scott Abell’s Debut

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: AJ Padgett, Alex Bacchetta, Artis Cole, Braylen Walker, Chase Allen, Chase Jenkins, CJ Witten, David Kasemervisz, Enoch Gota, Khary Crump, Max Balthazar, Owen Carter, practice notes, Rice Football, Sean Sullivan, Ty Thames, wyatt freeman

2025 Rice Football Season Preview: Slot

August 11, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

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

The new Rice football offense brings with it new positions. Out are the fullbacks, no longer listed in any capacity on the Owls’ roster. In their place, head coach Scott Abell has introduced the Slot position, a crucial cog in his spread option attack. There’s a lot to unpack with this group that is expected to play a pivotal role for the Owls this season.

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

This piece is part of our 2025 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. 

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jaxson Thompson commits to Owls
  • Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: Houston
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 1 Roundup
  • Rice Football knocks off Louisiana in Scott Abell’s Debut

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: 2025 Rice Football Season Preview, Aaron Turner, Christian Edgar, Colin Leahey, Drayden Dickmann, Landon Ransom, Larry DeBose, Max Balthazar, Owen Carter, Rice Football, Ryan Guillo, Semaj Pierre, Tyson Thompson

Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 5: Slot School

April 6, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

There’s been a lot to learn with this new-look Rice Football offense during spring practices, including the introduction of a new position: slot.

Keeping track of where players are lining up and where they go after the snap has been an adventure in the new offense Rice football is installing this spring. Head coach Scott Abell, renowned for his offensive system, has engineered a scheme that is fascinating to watch, but sometimes hard to follow. That confusion often stems from the slot position and how many different ways it’s utilized in this offense.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 4 — QB Battle and Scrimmage Thoughts

This update dives into what that slot position does, how the Owls use it in the offense and which players are going to be lining up at that position in the fall.

This article has been temporarily unlocked.

So…. what’s a slot?

No position has been more fascinating to follow this spring than the one most recently added to the Rice football depth chart: Slot. Coached by Austin Eisenhofer, nominally the Insider Wide Receivers coach according to the Rice football online roster, the slot position promises to bring plenty of flash and excitement to South Main.

โ€œThe slot position kind of does everything,” Eisenhofer explained. “A lot of blocking, a lot of pass catching, a lot of rushing the ball.”

That all-encompassing definition might even undersell the level of versatility the Owls require from this position. It’s not uncommon to see a slot player go out on a route on one play, take a sweep around one side on the next play, and then operate as the trailing man in an option run on the play after that. Their interchangeability with the running back position has been fascinating to watch.

In so many ways, this position is an amalgamation of so many skillsets into a true all-purpose offensive tool.

More: Latest Rice football recruiting offers

โ€œWeโ€™re insider receivers and we do more skills of a receiver than anything else,” Eisenhofer said, “But at the end of the day itโ€™s a lot of guys that in high school they were labeled as A-T-H. They can affect the game in so many ways. I think thatโ€™s fun for anyone.โ€

For some in the recruiting world, ATH or “Athlete” is a designation given to players with athletic ability, but no true position. It’s the “other” option for players talented enough to play at this level, but without a specified skillset at any singular spot. For this offense to take those “other” pieces and turn them into key cogs in this offensive system is amusing.

A few players like Cincinnati transfer Aaron Turner — brother of offensive assistant Eli Turner, who played for Abell at Davidson — knew what they were getting into when this position was assigned to them over the winter. The rest are truly starting from scratch, adjusting to so many different ways to get the football beyond the traditional throw and catch down field.

โ€œTheyโ€™ve taken to it probably quicker than I could have even expected,” Eisenhofer praised. “All theyโ€™re worried about is they want to be good. They want to learn it. They understand itโ€™s a process.โ€

Climbing the depth chart

We’re still a ways from settling on any firm offensive depth chart, but there are a few faces that have risen through the ranks at this position during camp. The aforementioned Turner is the first name to mention. He was the first pass catcher Abell cited when discussing standout individuals following last Saturday’s scrimmage as Abell noted that Turner “seemed to be making plays every day.”

Given his familiarity with the coaching staff and how the Owls’ prioritized him in the portal, his ascension probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. He’s not the only player to stand out at this spot during the spring, though. Redshirt freshman Owen Carter has receiver as many, if not more reps with the starting group.

Roost Podcast: Breaking down the Rice baseball in-season hiring of David Pierce

A high school standout at Cy Fair, Carter’s presence was minimal on Saturday’s last fall, redshirting while appearing in two games. To say he’s taken a step forward since then and embraced this new-look offense would be an understatement. He’s been fun to watch and someone worth keeping an eye on moving forward.

It’ll be hard to determine how many “starting” wide receiver spots they’ll be, especially given how much this offense will vary from formation to formation, but Carter, Turner and Braylen Walker (playing the true wide receiver spot in this offense, not slot) have been by far the most common triumvirate on the field so far.

Odds and Ends

  • Not only does there appear a ways to go for settling on a starting five on the offensive line, positions remain fluid. There was a sequence of plays last week where I watched one lineman play go from guard, to the tackle spot on the opposite side to the other guard spot in the span of three plays. The intra-drive fluidity is likely a quirk of practice, but that doesn’t make it any less hard to terse out.
  • Quinton Jackson broke off a 65-yard touchdown run in Wednesday’s practice. The speed possessed by him and Taji Atkins, along with the depth at the running back position should make for an exciting year for the ground game.
  • There are no fullbacks in this offense in the traditional sense, but that doesn’t mean the Owls’ fullbacks have completely disappeared. Micah Barnett and Rhys Phillips have transitioned to tight end. Phillips missed a good chunk of last season, so it’s been fun to see him get in the mix at full speed.
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jaxson Thompson commits to Owls
  • Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: Houston
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 1 Roundup
  • Rice Football knocks off Louisiana in Scott Abell’s Debut

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium, Reserve Tagged With: Aaron Turner, Braylen Walker, Micah Barnett, Owen Carter, practice notes, Quinton Jackson, Rhys Phillips, Rice Football, spring practice, Taji Atkins

Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 4: QB Battle and Scrimmage Thoughts

March 29, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

The three-man quarterback race is heating up as Rice football pushes past the midpoint of spring practices, making progress with the new offensive scheme.

With more than half of Rice football spring practice in the books, the Owls’ offense is beginning to materialize. Several weeks of installs have led to the beginnings of a pecking order with a few skill players making their names known alongside a heated battle in the quarterback room.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 3 — The Rice Football defense takes shape

The second scrimmage of the spring wrapped up on Saturday with plenty to be gleaned from that side of the ball. This update dives into what scrimmages (and the upcoming Spring Game) will look like under head coach Scott Abell, how the quarterback race is shaping up and more as we cross the midpoint and get into the final weeks of spring practice.

Rethinking the word scrimmage

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Basketball Recruiting: G Jaxson Thompson commits to Owls
  • Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: Houston
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 1 Roundup
  • Rice Football knocks off Louisiana in Scott Abell’s Debut

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Aaron Turner, AJ Padgett, Braylen Walker, Chase Jenkins, Drew Devillier, Jaggar Hebeisen, James Falk, Micah Barnett, Owen Carter, practice notes, Rhys Phillips, Rice Football, spring practice

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3
  4. Item 4
  5. Item 5
  • 2025 Rice Football Season Preview, Rice Football
  • Jack Ben-Shoshan, Rice Baseball
  • Rice Baseball, David Pierce
  • Rice Football
  • “He’s a Bulldog”: Parker Smith’s Journey to Rice Baseball Ace
Become a patron at Patreon!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter