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Rice Football Recruiting: DL Matthew Aribisala commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class continues beefing up its haul in the defensive trenches. Defensive lineman Matthew Aribisala has committed to the Owls.

The finishing touches to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class are being made as the calendar bleeds into mid-May and players will soon be on campus for summer workouts. Before that happens, the Owls are adding a few more reinforcements via the transfer portal, including this latest new face from just north of town. Former Sam Houston defensive lineman Matthew Aribisala has committed to the Owls.

Aribisala arrives on South Main with two years of eligibility remaining following four years spent at Sam Houston State. He saw action in 21 games, making his largest impact in 2023 when he recorded 11 tackles across 12 games.

He picked up his first sack last season against Rice and was on his way to an even larger role in the defense before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year, limiting him to just four games last fall.

Upon entering the portal, Aribisala received interest from several Group of 5 programs with offers from Ohio, New Mexico State and Arkansas State, among others.

The addition of Aribisala gives the Owls a robust group of defensive additions from the Transfer Portal this spring. He joins fellow defensive line additions VJ Bronson (North Texas) and Sam Carrell (Texas Tech) as well as safety Jack Kane (Oregon State) and corner Khary Crump (Houston Christian).

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The 6-foot-3, 295 pound interior defender has the potential to make a sizable impact on the Owls’ front. There’s not a ton of highlights out there, but this sack of Rice QB EJ Warner in the season opener last year showcased the kind of speed and power he brings to the table as a pass rusher.

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Rice Football Recruiting: RB Carson Morgan commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has picked up another boost in their skill position ranks. Former Kansas running back Carson Morgan has committed to the Owls.

Bolstering the running back room was one of the most evident objectives when it came to rounding out the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class and prepping the roster before summer workouts arrived. Rice was able to find that piece in the transfer portal. Former Kansas running back Carson Morgan has committed to the Owls.

A product of Bentonville West High School in Arkansas who grew up in Austin, TX, Morgan committed to Kansas as a member of the 2023 class. He appeared in six games for the Jayhawks last season, primarily on special teams, without recording any official statistics, before entering the portal this spring. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Morgan picked up a handful of FCS offers before both Rice and Ohio made their offers on the same day. Less than two weeks later, Morgan opted to head south to Houston, TX, rather than north to Athens, OH. His prior relationship with Rice football head coach Scott Abell played role in the decision.

“Coach Abell and that entire staff recruited me pretty heavily out of high school when they were at Davidson,” Morgan told The Roost. “When they reached out after I entered the portal they were very enthusiastic about me and wanted me to come visit as soon as possible.”

Morgan rounds out a skill position group that has added a fair amount of veterans in the portal over the last several weeks. Before his announcement, Rice had added Louisiana-Monroe wide receiver Artis Cole, Coastal Carolina slot receiver Max Balthazar and Kennesaw State quarterback Lucas Scheerhorn.

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The film for Morgan is a compilation of practice highlights and some special teams work. Limited though it is, Morgan’s 6-foot, 210-pound frame is the fills a gap the position was lacking and he showcases a relatively quick transition in traffic that could pay off in big ways in the Rice offense.

“Iā€™m gonna give this program everything I got and show this community that yā€™all got a special one,” Morgan said. “Canā€™t wait to get back down in the great state of Texas!”

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR David Kasemervisz commits to Owls

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A Texas product is returning home as a member of the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Former Stanford wideout David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls.

The recent run of pledges to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, serving as the final additions to the roster before the season arrives this fall, maintained its momentum into May. Former Stanford wide receiver — and son of a Rice alum — David Kasemervisz has committed to the Owls.

Kasemervisz was a productive high school player at Fort Bend Christian Academy in Sugar Land, TX, before signing with Stanford in 2021. Over the course of four seasons at The Farm, he saw the bulk of his action on special teams and did not record a reception. A versatile athlete, Kasemervisz also spent some time at running back at Stanford.

“Itā€™s wasnā€™t a huge point of emphasis,” Kasemervisz said of his limited collegiate field time on offense. “Between my success on special teams and offensive practice film, the coaches believed I demonstrated the ability to play wide receiver at a high level.”

The addition of Kasemervisz marks the fourth offensive player Rice has taken in the portal this cycle and the second at this position. Louisiana-Monroe wide receiver Artis Cole committed just a few days prior. Also joining the fold are Coastal Carolina slot receiver Max Balthazar and Kennesaw State quarterback Lucas Scheerhorn.

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It’s hard to put much stock in high school film for a grad transfer, but the 6-foot, 205-pound Kasemervisz has intriguing athletic traits that make him worth a late-cycle flyer. If nothing else, he’s a contributor on special teams, but given the lack of size in the wide receiver room, a bigger-bodied player like Kasemervisz should get a chance to make waves.

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Rice Football Recruiting: WR Artis Cole commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class just picked up more offensive reinforcements. Former Louisiana-Monroe wideout Artis Cole has committed to the Owls.

The spring additions to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class have come from near and far with several new faces taking multiple stops along their college football journey before arriving on South Main. The latest pledge is no different, hoping to make his mark in his lone season with Rice. Louisiana-Monroe wide receiver Artis Cole has committed to the Owls.

Cole went the junior college route out of high school before transferring to Fresno State prior to the 2023 season. He redshirted that year with the Bulldogs, not appearing in any games before transferring to Louisiana-Monroe and seeing his first FBS action in 2024. He caught 13 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown, appearing in 12 games for the Warhawks.

Now the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver is heading to Rice, where he’ll join an offensive skill group that has picked up a few pieces in the spring transfer season so far. Prior to Cole’s commitment, the Owls received commitments from Coastal Carolina slot receiver Max Balthazar as well as Kennesaw State quarterback Lucas Scheerhorn.

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There’s not a ton of tape on Cole, but the highlights that are out there give a good feel for the type of weapon he could be on South Main. He’s a big, physical receiver who is hard to bring down on first contact and has some innate playmaking ability. Adding that type of player this late in the cycle is a low-risk addition with upside to bolster the receiver room this fall.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Khary Crump’s path to the Owls

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The most recent addition to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class, corner Khary Crump has taken an eventful journey to South Main.

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