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A swathe of graduations and injuries made it abundantly clear that the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class would need help in the secondary this spring, most specifically at corner. Rice did their homework on various available defensive backs and landed an extremely talented transfer from Houston Christian. Corner Khary Crump has committed to the Owls.
Last season, Crump led the Southland Conference in passes defended, registering 10 breakups and three interceptions during his only season with the Huskies.
Crump began his collegiate career at Arizona in 2020, where he did not see any game action before transferring to Michigan State. Crump appeared in nine games for the Spartans across three seasons, playing sparingly before landing in a full-time role for the first time at Houston Christian in 2024, where he excelled.
With the addition of Crump, Rice has now added a host of players in the spring transfer window on the defensive side of the ball, including one other in the secondary: Oregon State safety Jack Kane. Rice also picked up pledges from defensive linemen VJ Bronson (North Texas) and Sam Carrell (Texas Tech).
The tape is fantastic. At 6-foot,180 pounds, Krump is a physical corner who can hold his own on the outside, something the Owls’ demand in their defensive scheme. He’s an extremely talented defender who should challenge for a starting spot at South Main upon his arrival.
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— Khary Crump (@Kjd1bez37) January 17, 2025
Spring is the season to make sure the roster is ready for the year ahead and with the program light in the defensive trenches, adding at least a couple of defensive linemen to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. That group gained another member this week. Texas Tech defensive end Sam Carrell has committed to the Owls.
Carrell’s college football career began as an offensive lineman at Washington State before he transferred to Texas Tech following a redshirt season with the Cougars and flipped to the defensive side of the ball. He split time between defensive end and outside linebacker with the Red Raiders across three seasons, primarily playing a support role and entering the Transfer Portal this spring.
When it came to arriving at South Main, Carrell credited the staff and the scheme, first and foremost calling head coach Scott Abell and defensive line coach Ty Warren “the kind of people I want to play for,” crediting the staff with establishing a unit that allows him to “play confident and free.”
Carrell’s commitment comes amidst a run of recent defensive additions for the Owls in the portal. North Texas defensive lineman VJ Bronson committed a few days prior and Oregon State safety Jack Kane announced his pledge on the same day. That’s a lot of experience added to the roster in a short window of time.
At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Carrell certainly has the frame to play on the line in this scheme. He’ll slide in as a pass rusher off the edge, providing another veteran hand in a room in need of depth. “I’m very proud of my versatility, strong hands, and pass-rush ability,” Carrell told The Roost.
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Adding experience to a defense replacing so many veterans was paramount as the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class bolstered its members before the upcoming season. A veteran from the Pac-12 ranks, Oregon State safety Jack Kane has committed to the Owls.
“I think coach Abell is a coach that knows how to win and knows how to do it right,” Kane told The Roost. “You can tell from the men and women in the building that he is a great leader and person. There’s something special about a staff that comes from so many different areas and are this connected over football.”
A former walk-on, Kane earned his scholarship prior to this past season, which proved to be his most productive collegiate season thus far.
Kane appeared in 31 games for Oregon State over the last three seasons, growing his role significantly following a redshirt season in 2021. Most recently, he racked up 32 tackles last season and led the Beavers with two interceptions. Getting contributors this late in the transfer cycle is encouraging, but landing someone with the level of experience and talent of Kane in late April is particularly noteworthy.
With Kane on board, the spring recruiting haul is up to six new faces from the portal ranks, including two others on defense: North Texas defensive lineman VJ Bronson and Texas Tech defensive lineman Sam Carrell.
Perhaps the biggest perk of a player with the level of experience of Kane is the ability to be in the right place at the right time and make the plays in front of you. Kane’s interception against UNLV from earlier this season showcases just that. He’ll be a tremendous fit in the Owls’ defensive scheme.
“I’m hoping to bring some experience and excited to meet the guys and learn with them,” he said. “The defense dominated last year and the stats prove that. I want to help elevate the standards and grow as much as possible with defense to dominate again this upcoming season.”
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There was never going to be a rush to add just any transfer quarterback to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Any potential candidate needed to fit the Owls’ scheme and have the prerequisite athletic ability to function at a high level within the offense. Rice found the man who fits both requirements: Kennesaw State quarterback Lucas Scheerhorn has committed to the Owls.
Scheerhorn played his high school ball at Klein Oak, not too far from South Main, and was recruited by head coach Scott Abell and his staff while they were at Davidson. Scheerhorn opted to go the FBS route, signing with Kennesaw State, which ran an option-oriented scheme at the time. He appeared in three games for the Owls, attempting three passes, operating as a reserve for most of the season.
Kennesaw State made a coaching change in November, moving on from Brian Bohannon and hiring former Rice football assistant Jerry Mack. With the coaching shift came a new offense, sending Scheerhorn and others to the portal, opening the door for him to return to Houston and finally sync up with Abell’s staff.
With four seasons of eligibility remaining, Scheerhorn will add depth to an inexperienced Rice quarterback room which includes Chase Jenkins, AJ Padgett, and Drew Devillier as well as signee Patrick Crayton Jr. 2026 quarterback Aiden Smalls committed this past week.
Whether its the HUIDL film from high school or the practice tape from Kennesaw State, Scheerhorn possessions the mobility and ability to throw with power and accuracy down the field that make him an ideal schematic fit for this offense, something hard to find in the portal. Getting him to South Main with plenty of eligibility remaining is a nice pickup for Rice football as it attempts to reshape that room.
— Lucas Scheerhorn (@L_Scheerhorn) April 16, 2025Become a Patron!