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Rice Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the 2026 Signees – Defense, Special Teams

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The 2026 Rice Football Recruiting class includes several hand-picked impact players on defense and special teams. Here’s how those sides of the ball stacks up.

The 2026 Rice football recruiting class began with 18 signees during the Early Signing Period, the second recruiting haul for new head coach Scott Abell. Of those players, 16 are current high school seniors, eight play on the offensive side of the ball, plus one specialist.

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“I think we have found some great future Owls who are going to have an impact on our program,” Abell said during his introductory remarks regarding the group.

We’ve gone position by position breaking down each of those new people, dissecting how these Owls will help the program on the field.

* Denotes players who will enroll early in January

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** This piece has been updated to reflect new signees as of 2/5/2025 **
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Rice Football Recruiting: JUCO DL Brock Reddic commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class just added some in the trenches. JUCO defensive lineman Brock Reddic has committed to the Owls.

The first transfer addition to the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class is on the board. Following an initial build from the high school ranks, the Owls have nabbed a key player from the junior college ranks. Kilgore defensive tackle Brock Reddic has committed to the Owls.

Reddic originally signed with Northwestern State out of high school, playing sparingly before transferring to Kilgore Junior College last year. A strong season there earned him offers from programs like Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Monroe, PVAMU, McNeese State, Central Arkansas, and others. The Owls were the most recent to formally show interest and Reddic pulled the trigger soon after the offer came in.

“I could tell what coach Abell is building is special and will last for the long run,” Reddic told The Roost. “Getting a degree at Rice is generational, and getting to play high-level ball while getting that degree, I couldn’t ask for a better combo.”

The fourth defensive lineman in the class, Reddic should bring some experience to accompany high school commits Ian Harrell, Tyler Lavallier and Quincy Tchikou. In total, the class is up to 19 players with the early signing period right around the corner, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 3.

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Reddic’s highlights are intriguing. The 6-foot-4, 315 pound interior player has a couple moves already in his tool bag and shows good pursuit to the ball. Rice needs reinforcements in the trenches and Reddic looks to have the potential to slide in and contribute quickly.

“I’ll fit into that nose position to be a menacing presence in the middle of the defense,” Reddic said.”

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