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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: DE Quincy Tchikou commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has its first addition on the defensive side of the ball. Cy Ranch defensive end Quincy Tchikou has committed to the Owls.

Following an initial burst of new additions on the offensive side of the ball, the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up its anchor in the defensive trenches from just down the road. Cy Ranch defensive end Quincy Tchikou has committed to the Owls.

Tchikou didn’t pick up his first D1 offer before February, then his recruitment began to take off in earnest. He received 15 offers over the ensuing months, holding off on any commitment decisions until Rice entered the fray with an offer in late May. That meant turning down overtures from San Diego State, Arkansas State, New Mexico State, Navy, Colorado State, Army, Air Force, Utah State, Tulsa and others.

“With Coach Abell and the new staff coming in, I can see a huge upward trend with the way the school is going football-wise,” Tchikou told The Roost.

Now that he’s locked in, Tchikou provides a building block for the Owls to work with as they add more defenders around him. The first wave of commitments all played on the offensive side of the ball, including offensive lineman Clay Mitchell and tight end Colten Cole.

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The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Tchikou is a disruptive force along the line who can line up across the front, but likely profiles as an edge player at the next level. His film is flush with excellent pursuit and a good first step. There’s a lot of upside with a player who already possesses such innate instincts like Tchikou.

“I feel like Rice is a place where I can hone my skills and become a better overall person,” Tchikou said. “I’m looking forward to working with this new program and getting better everyday.”

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