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New-look offense shines at 2025 Rice Football Spring Game

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The 2025 Rice football spring practices concluded on Saturday with the spring game, a more condensed version this year, but still rich with things to learn.

An open quarterback competition, a new offense and plenty of new faces made for an exciting night at Historic Rice Stadium for the Owls’ first spring game under head coach Scott Abell on Saturday night. Marketed as more of an open practice, the Owls went through some drills before going through a handful of drives in front of the assembled crowed.

More: Spring Practice Notebook 6 — Big moves in the trenches

This update focuses on what took place in that scrimmage, hitting on some takeaways from the game and how those items compare to the totality of the spring.

Mission Accomplished

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 5: Slot School

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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.

So…. what’s a slot?

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

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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

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Rice Football 2025 Spring Practice Notebook 2: Unpacking the offense, QBs

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Two weeks of 2025 Rice Football spring practices are in the books. Here’s what we’ve learned about the offense and quarterbacks so far.

The new look Rice football offense has taken some getting used to, but the explosiveness with which they play and the vast array of weapons at their disposal has made for an exciting spring so far. Just a few practices into the spring, the scheme is starting to take shape as everyone learns on the go and gets their first live reps on the field.

This update dives deep into that offense, taking stock of the quarterback competition thus far and digging into the details of how plays are called, what the scheme will look like from week to week and more.

A true competition at quarterback

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Aaron Turner commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just landed its first offensive addition from the Transfer Portal. Cincinnati transfer WR Aaron Turner has committed to the Owls.

The new offensive scheme was always going to require some new pieces, several of which were destined to come from the Transfer Portal. The first new addition by Scott Abell and his staff on that side of the ball is official in. Former Cincinnati wide receiver Aaron Turner has committed to the Owls.

Rice will be Turner’s third stop as a college player following a pair of two-year stints, first at UConn and then to Cincinnati. Turner was the Huskies’ leading receiver as a true sophomore in 2022 before moving on to the Big 12 where he was limited to 16 receptions over the past two seasons. He’s also seen frequent use as a runner, carrying the ball 26 times across his collegiate career.

Turner is one of three transfer commits the Owls have received this month joining a pair of JUCO defensive backs, Jerrick Harper and Jo Chavez. That trio will work to complement a strong high school class which largely stayed intact during the coaching transition.

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The 5-foot-9, 175-pound athlete wins with speed and elusiveness. A high school running back, Turner has been utilized in a variety of ways at each of his stops since. That sort of versatility jumps out on his film and undoubtably is what made him so appealing to the Owls.

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