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Rice Football Recruiting: SAF Jack Kane commits to Owls

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A veteran presence in the secondary is joining the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class. Oregon State safety Jack Kane has committed to the Owls.

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.

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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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Rice Football Recruiting: QB Lucas Scheerhorn commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has added a transfer quarterback to its ranks. Kennesaw State triggerman Lucas Scheerhorn has committed to the Owls.

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.

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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.

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Rice Football Recruiting: Slot Max Balthazar commits to Owls

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Another Transfer Portal addition is on his way to join the 2025 Rice football recruiting class. Coastal Carolina playmaker Max Balthazar has committed to the Owls.

Adding experienced playmakers on both sides of the ball is the ideal use for the spring Transfer Portal window and the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class has done just that. A running back at his previous stop who will line up as a slot at South Main, Coastal Carolina athlete Max Balthazar has committed to the Owls.

After a redshirt season in 2021, Balthazar started to grow his role at Coastal Carolina. He played in eight games in 2022 before appearing in every game the following season, seeing work as a rusher and receiver out of the backfield. Unfortunately, he would miss the entirety of his 2024 season with an injury before opting to enter the portal this spring.

A 5-foot-11, 205-pound back, Balthazar carried the ball 70 times for 352 yards (5.0 yards per carry) while catching 11 passes for 82 yards. That versatility makes him an ideal piece to transition to the slot. Before his addition, the Owls didn’t have anyone on the roster at that position of his size.

“I feel like I’ll fit in really well,” Balthazar told The Roost. “It’s an offense that puts the ball in their playmakers’ hands, and it’s tough to stop. I believe it’s going to be a lot of fun running this system.”

Balthazar is the third transfer addition of the spring cycle for Rice football so far. Earlier in the week, the Owls received commitments from SMU running back LJ Johnson and North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson.

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Balthazar says he views himself as “a very balanced back,” adding “I don’t believe I’m one dimensional.”

It only takes a cursory look at Balthazar’s tape to see the fit. He’s a physical runner who moves well in space. That will give head coach Scott Abell and the offensive staff another chess piece to work with as they work to assemble the offense in the fall.

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Rice Football Recruiting: QB Aiden Smalls commits to Owls

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The 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has its quarterback in the fold. Playmaking signal caller Aiden Smalls has committed to the Owls.

Getting the right triggerman in place is paramount for success and the 2026 Rice Football recruiting class has found its solution at that all-important position. Quarterback Aiden Smalls has committed to the Owls.

Landing Smalls represents a massive recruiting win for the Owls’ new staff. To this point in his recruiting process, the bulk of Smalls’ offers have come from regional schools, including a wide array from the Power 4. He picked Rice over offers from NC State, Duke, Boston College and Virginia Tech, as well as Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Liberty and others.

To get Smalls to Texas and away from schools of that caliber is impressive and required several supporting factors. First, there was some existing familiarity between the Smalls family and Rice head coach Scott Abell, who formerly coached football at the same high school as Small’s father coached basketball, with Abell coaching a relative of the family during that time.

Additionally, part of the Owls’ pitch was where Smalls would play. Some of those programs viewed Smalls as an athlete, typecasting his athleticism into a skill position — although Smalls did confirm at least one of those P4 programs and all of the Group of 5 programs interested in him were recruiting him at quarterback — whereas Rice had remained adamant the entire time that they wanted Smalls at quarterback where he can use those abilities to impact the game on a down-to-down basis.

“I like the fact the offense will utilize my ability to use my legs and my arm. I feel like I am the true definition of dual threat. This offense allows me to showcase that part of my game,” Smalls said. “I also like the offense is read based. That tells me that whatever the defense try’s to do, there is a counter. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunities that’s there. I can see us putting up big numbers offensively.”

The commitment to put Smalls at quarterback and the intrigue of being the point man for Abell’s electric offense were enough for Smalls to pull the trigger, further solidifying the Owls’ 2026 class, already at three commitments and growing. Smalls joins tight end Colten Cole and offensive lineman Clay Mitchell in the fold thus far.

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Turn on the tape and get ready for a show. Smalls can chuck it deep, make plays on the move and, of course, use his legs to make defenders look silly. He’s the ideal quarterback to run this offense. To get him on board this early is huge for the Owls and will enable them to build around their potential QB1 of the future.

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Rice Football Recruiting: DT VJ Bronson commits to Owls

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Reinforcements to the 2025 Rice football recruiting class continue to pour in. North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Gathering depth in the interior of the defensive trenches was a must-do following the conclusion of spring practices. The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class found its answer up front in a veteran transfer from within the AAC. Former North Texas defensive tackle VJ Bronson has committed to the Owls.

Bronson has taken a long road to get to South Main, beginning his college career at Lamar in 2021 before transferring to Arkansas State for a pair of seasons. He then transferred to North Texas where he redshirted in 2023 before appearing in five games for the Mean Green a season ago.

“I’m someone who’s been through a lot and learned to appreciate every chance to suit up,” Bronson told The Roost. “I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m locked in, ready to work, and I’m coming to Rice to leave it all on the field. Whatever it takes to help this team win.”

After entering the portal, Bronson received offers from Southern Miss, Kent State, UConn and others before shutting down his time in the portal and choosing to commit to Rice.

“It wasn’t just about football,” Bronson said. “It was about being in an environment that would challenge me to grow as a man, and that’s what made the decision clear for me.”

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There’s not a lot to go from as far as recent game film goes for Bronson, but the highlights that are out there show a bigger man (6-foot-3, 320 pounds) that is relatively quick on his feet. Bronson himself pointed toward that aspect of his game as an advantage. “I know how to use my size the right way,” he mentioned. “I try to be someone the team can count on to handle the dirty work and do it right.”

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