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BREAKING: David Pierce to be named Rice Baseball head coach this week

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In a potentially unprecedented move, David Pierce is expected to be introduced as the next Rice baseball head coach, effective this week, The Roost has learned.

On Thursday, Rice baseball made a change, dismissing head coach Jose Cruz Jr. A week later, the Owls expect to have a new coach in place. David Pierce, currently serving as the assistant to the head coach at Texas State, will be officially appointed Rice baseball head coach this week and will be the manager as Rice Baseball opens conference play against Florida Atlantic on Friday, The Roost has learned.

Pierce’s availability as an assistant and the timing of the Owls’ coaching vacancy set up a first for the Owls, and perhaps most of college baseball. Pierce will get hands-on experience evaluating the roster, managing the team, and familiarizing himself with the program.

Typically, this would happen in the offseason. With Pierce available right now, the Rice administration is moving with much more urgency. Pierce will be formally introduced at a press conference during the week.

Roost Pod: David Pierce takes over for Rice Baseball… midseason!

Pierce is an alum of the University of Houston who had two stints as an assistant with Rice, the first in 1991 and the second from 2003 to 2011 where he was part of the Owls’ national championship-winning team. He then went on to head coaching stops at Sam Houston, Tulane and Texas.

Although Pierce shares ties to the program as Cruz did, his track record as a successful college baseball coach spanning multiple stops across a decade-plus of work is thought to be the differentiator here. He won six conference championships, went to the College World Series in 2018 and was named Baseball America’s Coach of the Year that season.

Stay tuned to The Roost on Patreon for updates as well as game analysis and more as the Owls look to finish out the season.

The athletic department has since issued a release with comments from Athletic Director Tommy McClelland and coach David Pierce:

From McClelland

We are excited to bring David Pierce back to South Main as the next head coach of Rice Baseball,” McClelland stated “Although it is unconventional to bring a new head coach in during the season, as soon as Coach Pierce and I came to an agreement that he would be our next head coach, he expressed his strong desire to start immediately. It is a testament not only to the bright future ahead for Rice Baseball but also to the potential of our current team.

“I want to thank Parker Bangs for his leadership as our interim head coach during this transition. He provided a calming presence during a challenging time and remains an important part of the coaching staff.

From Pierce:

Rice represents a very special place for my family and me, and I am truly honored to have this opportunity to return to Reckling Park as the head coach of the Owls. I owe a great deal of my success as a head coach to my time at Rice, and I firmly believe we have all the elements in place to add to the great tradition here.

I did not want to wait until the end of the season because I believed that we have great potential and a lot of baseball in front of us this year. I can’t wait to get on the field with these players and coaches and prepare for the start of conference play on Friday.

**Updated to reflect comments from Rice Athletic Director Tommy McClelland and David Pierce **
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“I Know the Road Map”: Rice Football head coach Scott Abell makes strong debut

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Scott Abell has officially been named the next Rice Football head coach and while he’s new to the job, he doesn’t feel like he’s starting over.

Donning a cowboy hat for the first time, a gift from an enthusiastic supporter, newly appointed Rice football head coach Scott Abell never allowed his confident demeanor to waiver during his introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon. While he’s new to the state, the Owls headman has an understanding of the program he’s inheriting. In his eyes, he’s seen this rodeo before.

“This is my strength. I’ve witnessed this,” he said. “I’ve walked this walk for seven years.”

Rice hired Abell from Davidson, a high-academic institution in North Carolina with a striking number of similarities to Rice. Like Rice, Davidson competes in what Abell called “a league that wasn’t like us,” in the midst of other institutions which didn’t face the same academic hurdles.

“He has a proven track record of success at multiple places where it has historically been difficult to win. He is a program builder who has established and maintained a winning culture at every step of his illustrious career,” Athletic Director Tommy McClelland said during his introductory remarks.

“This is my strength.
I’ve witnessed this.
I’ve walked this walk.”

Davidson, like Rice, had also been a place where it was historically hard to win. Both programs sit below .500 all-time in their football records. Abell left Davidson as the winningest coach in program history, pushing his winning clip past .600 with room to spare. He knows what it’s like to win at a place that’s hard to win.

And given those constraints, Abell’s operated under the assumption that places like that have to look at things from a different vantage point.

“You can’t do what everyone else does. You have to do something a little unique and you have to be specific about it,” he said. “And that’s really what we’ll bring here, offensively. It gets a lot of people involved. It’s exciting to watch. We typically score a lot of points. That’s not the goal. The goal is to win football games. And the offense will allow us to control aspects of the game that way.”

Roost Pod: Rice Football hires Scott Abell as its next head coach

Abell was speaking about his offensive scheme, a gun option system that draws influence from the triple option, zone read and run-pass option concepts that have grown and developed in the sport over time. It’s fast-paced, explosive and has allowed his teams to lead Division I in rushing “virtually every year,” a mark Abell quickly corrected to be six of the previous seven seasons.

His next task will be doing performing that resuscitation for Rice football. McClelland, the man who has tasked Abell with this work, has full confidence that Abell can indeed do it again.

“Winning is not easy. It does not matter where you are, it is hard,” McClelland said. “Winning consistently and at multiple places and at multiple levels is not a fluke.”

And so a new chapter in Rice football history begins. When Abell arrived at Davidson, the Wildcats hadn’t beaten a Division I opponent in almost five years. The cupboard isn’t quite that bare at South Main and thus, the expectations are elevated, albeit fairly reasonable.

Abell expects his team will “play high caliber football” in Year One. “I expect us to win football games. And as we get into the season we’re gonna challenge to compete at the top of our conference,” he said.”

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Those games are more than nine months away. First, Abell has to build a staff, sign a recruiting class and do so many other things to ensure Rice football begins his tenure on the right foot. The good news for Abell? He doesn’t feel like he’s starting from scratch.

“I know the roadmap. I’ve seen this happen,” Abell said. “We’ve been able to dream and accomplish things where really people didn’t think it was possible.”

“Knowing that I understood that road map. Understanding the uniqueness that comes with Rice football, where we fit in our conference. I just thought it was an ideal fit for Scott Abell.”

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 193 – Rice Football hires Scott Abell

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Rice Football has a new head coach! The Owls went off the board a bit, nabbing Scott Abell from Davidson and bringing is gun option scheme to South Main.

It’s time for Rice football to zig while others zag. The Owls are hiring Scott Abell from Davidson who has extensive experience running a gun option scheme that has been near the tops of the nation in rushing success for the past several seasons. What will that look like at Rice and how do we feel about this hire? Spoiler alert: it’s an exciting swing we think is worth taking.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 193.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

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We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

For a limited time only, click any of those links above and use the code BFCM24 to take advantage of 30% off EVERYTHING during their Black Friday sale.

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Rice Football hires Scott Abell

  • Discord members were in the know first, susbcribe today!
  • Who is Scott Abell and why is Rice hiring him?
  • Abell’s offensive scheme
  • Experience at Davidson and it’s comp to Rice football
  • Evaluating the hire and what it means for the trajectory of the program

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Davidson’s Scott Abell to be named next Rice Football Head Coach

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Following an extensive national search, Scott Abell, current head coach at Davidson, is expected to be named the next Rice Football head coach.

Scott Abell will be the next head coach of Rice Football, sources tell The Roost. Abell has spent the last seven years at the helm of Davidson which plays in the FCS Division of college football. While with the Wildcats, Abell won the Pioneer League twice (2020, 2021) and owns the best winning percentage in program history.

Who is Scott Abell?

The now former head coach at Davidson, and Washington and Lee before that, is set to become the 20th head coach in Rice football history. While he’s never coached at the FBS level, Abell has delivered historic results at multiple stops along the way.

As the head coach of DIII Washington and Lee, Abell led the Generals to three DIII Playoff appearances — they’ve been to just six in program history. He then moved up to Davidson where he’s produced one of the most dynamic, exciting offenses in the country over the last seven years.

Abell runs a gun option which has consistently produced one of the nation’s top rushing attacks year over year, including the second ranked rushing offense in the nation this year and the No. 1 rushing offense in 2023. Last season, Abell’s Wildcats led all of FCS in scoring offense (40.0 points per game) averaging 463 yards per game while ranking in the top 15 nationally in passing efficiency and red zone offense.

Why Scott Abell?

This isn’t a one-year decision, it’s a body-of-work decision. Abell has built a perennial contender at a place where it’s hard to win. Since 1970, Davidson teams had won seven or more games four times before Abell arrived. He’s accomplished that feat four times in the last six seasons.

Davidson is a small private school in a state with plenty of Blue Blood programs. The academic requirements are extensive, even when compared to the challenges Rice football faces on the recruiting front. Before Abell had arrived the Wildcats hadn’t won a conference title in more than 50 years nor been to the postseason. Abell did both, multiple times.

The bet is pretty straightforward, if Abell can win with extremely limited resources, what happens when Rice opens the spigot and enables him to complement his offensive mind with the financial backing to bring those dreams to fruition? The challenges shared by Davidson and Rice are remarkably similar. The Owls hope Abell’s conference-winning results will be, too.

What They’re Saying

After spending time with Scott throughout this process, it was clear that we had found the right leader for our program. He has had an immediate impact on every program he has coached and is passionate about developing winners on and off the field. He is the right person to lead Rice football into a new era of success. I am thrilled to welcome Scott and his family to Rice. – Rice AD Tommy McClelland

I am incredibly honored and humbled to be the named the next head football coach at Rice University. I want to thank President DesRoches, Athletic Director Tommy McClelland, and his staff for their trust and confidence in me and my family.  I cannot imagine a more ideal time or fit for myself, my family, and the future of Rice Football.  Today begins the journey, as we pursue championships.  Go Owls! – Rice Football head coach Scott Abell

An introductory press conference is set to be held Wednesday, November 27 at 11:00 a.m.

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The latest of the Rice Football coaching search

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No offers have been made, but the end is in sight as Rice football continues its search for its next head football coach.

It was reported Monday morning that Yale’s Tony Reno had emerged as the favorite to be named the next head coach of Rice Football. While The Roost can confirm Reno is among the finalists for the job, no formal offer has yet been made, and it’s still within the realm of possibility the Owls go elsewhere in their search.

At this time the candidate pool has been trimmed and Reno is just one of the names in the mix. The other candidates are have emerged from an extensive national search that began following the firing of Mike Bloomgren several weeks ago.

Reno fits a profile the Owls are seriously exploring with these finalists. They want a program builder with head coaching experience who has a winning tradition. Several rising coordinators were initially tossed into the consideration set among national reporters, but this is not the direction Rice intends to go at this time.

This report surfacing when it did further clarifies the narrowing time horizon with which Rice has to make this hire. The Early Signing Period opens December 4 and Rice would prefer to have a candidate in place at that time but the situation remains fluid.

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